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the  l\\  item  CoHlinent. —-JAitRS  Pauto>. 


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UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 
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OB 


ARGUMENTS  IN  FAVOR  OF  THE  REMOVAL 


OF    TIIK 


NATIONAL  CAPITAL  FROM  WASHINGTON  CITY 


TO    THE 

49 

MISSISSIPPI  VALLEY.      •  '' 

(Illustrated  with  Maps.)  ^^ 

63 

'1  BY    L.    U.   EEAYIS.  ^^^ 

....  169 


Fair  St.  Lo-uU,  the  future  Capital  of  the  United  !>tale>,  and  of  the  Civilizatit 
of  the  Western  Continent.— J  auks  Pabtox. 

There  it  th*  East,  and  there  is  India.— Bz^Torf. 


ST.  LOUIS  : 

PUBLISHED  AND  FOR  8ALK  BY  J.   P.    TOUBEY,    BOOK  AXD  XEW9  DEALER. 
1809. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1S6S, 

BY  L.  U.  RE  AVIS, 

the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  United  States  District  Court  for  the  Eastern   Disti-Ict 

of  Missouri. 


MISSOUUI  DEMOCRAT  PRINT. 


m 

/V) 


TABLE    OF   CONTENTS 


The  Old  Govjlk>,jie>t,  Statement  akd  Map  of 9 

The  New  Kepublic,  Statement  and  Map  of 16 

The  National  Growth  and  Material  Power  of  the  Continent    20 

A  DEMAND  FOK  A  CHANGE  OF  THE  SeAT  OF  GOVERNMENT,  AND  ITS 

Location  at  St.  Louis 44 

Thk  Geographical  Argument 47 

The  Population  Argument > 49 

The  Commercial  Argument 53 

The  Political  Argument 61 

The  Conclusive  Argument 63 

Special  and  Local  Considerations 165 

What  Time 169 


'4- 


^  136832 


o 


NOTICE. 

While  in  Washington  City,  la^t  June  and  July,  I  talked  with  many 
persons  in  favor  of  the  removal  of  the  seat  of  government  from  that  place 
to  the  Mississippi  Valley.  Before  I  left  I  was  often  met  by  citizens  and 
visitors  and  questioned  upon  the  subject.  I  made  no  disguise  of  my  senti- 
ments, but  gave  as  my  firm  conviction  that  the  seat  of  government  would 
be  moved,  and  that,  too,  at  an  early  daj'.  Talking  with  the  Hon.  Horace 
Greeley,  on  one  occasion,  upon  the  subject,  he  said  that  there  was  not  a 
heathen  city  in  the  world  as  corrupt  as  Washington  City,  and  that  he  was 
in  f\ivor  of  the  Capital  going  anywhere  to  get  it  away  from  there.  He 
jokingly  added  that  he  would  never  forgive  the  rebels  for  not  taking 
Wa>^hington. 

One  day  1  was  met  by  an  old  gentleman  of  ministerial  proclivities, 
with  whom  I  had  conversed  several  times  upon  the  subject.  He  said  that 
many  persons  were  making  light  of  my  project  to  move  the  Capital  away 
from"  Washington;  "but,"  said  he,  "I  told  them  to  not  deceive  them- 
selves, that  Noah  preached  one  hundred  and  twenty  years  and  the  people 
would  not  believe  him,  but  the  flood  did  come  as  he  had  told  them  it 
would."  Then  said  the  old  gentleman  to  me,  "You  keep  at  work,  for 
a  gimlet-hole  will  after  a  while  sink  a  ship."  I  answered  him  that  I 
most  certainly  should  contend  for  the  removal  of  the  seat  of  government 
to  that  locality  which  was  destined  to  hold  the  balance  of  power  in  the 
Kepublic. 

Senator  Sumner  also  expressed  his  belief  that  the  Capital  would  be 
moved  West,  and  that  its  removal  was  only  a  question  ot  time. 

One  morning,  while  passing  up  Pennsylvania  avenue,  I  was  halted  by 
an  old  gentleman  who  resides  in  Washington,  and  told  that  he  under- 
stood I  was  there  trying  to  move  the  Capital;  1  told  him  tliat  he  had 
been  wrongly  informed;  that  I  was  not  there  trying  to  move  it,  but  was 
in  favor  of  its  being  moved,  and  that  I  believed  it  would  be  moved.  He 
asked  me  when;  I  told  him  in  the  course  of  five  years.  "  Well,"  said  he, 
I  have  lived  here  for  thirty  years,  have  studied  the  subject  all  over,  and 
have  never  been  able  to  see  a  single  argument  in  favor  of  moving  it."  I 
said:  "Sir,  can  you  give  me  an  argument  to  prove  that  the  earth  turns 
over?"  He  answered  that  he  did  not  believe  the  earth  did  turn  over;  that 
it  was  all  humbug  to  say  that  it  did.  I  replied  to  him,  saying  that  I  could 
prove  by  astronomical  argument  that  the  earth  did  turn  over,  and  that  1 
could  also  give  good  reasons  for  the  removal  of  the  seat  of  government 
from  Washington  City  to  the  Great  West,  but  that  I  would  not  then  give 
any  arguments  on  either  proposition. 

I  herein  propose  to  give  the  arguments  as  intelligibly  as  I  can  in  favor 
of  the  removal  of  the  seat  of  government;  nor  shall  I,  in  the  attempt  to 


"Now,  sir,  when  I  sec  this  country,  when  I  see  its  vastness  and  its 
almost  illimitable  extent;  when  I  see  the  keen  eye  of  capital  and  business 
fastened  vvith  stead)',  interested  gaze  upon  the  trade  of  the  West,  and  all 
our  Eastern  cities  in  hot  rivalry  are  reaching  out  their  iron  arras  to  secure 
our  trade;  when  I  see  the  railroads  that  are  centering  here  in  St.  Louis; 
when  I  see  this  city  with  GO, 090  miles  of  railroad  communication  and 
100,000  miles  of  telegraphic  communication;  when  I  see  that  she  stands  at 
the  head  waters  of  navigation,  extending  to  the  north  3,000  miles  and  to 
the  south  2,000  miles,  and  when  I  see  that  she  stands  in  the  center  of  the 
continent  as  it  were;  when  I  see  the  population  moving  to  tlie  West  in 
vast  numbers;  when  I  see  emigration  rolling  toward  the  Pacific,  and  all 
through  these  temperate  climes  I  hear  the  tramp  of  the  iron  horse  on  his 
waj'  to  the  Pacific  Ocean;  when  I  see  towns  and  villages  springing  up  in 
every  direction ;  when  I  see  States  forming  into  existence, luntil  the  city 
of  St.  Louis  becomes  the  center  as  it  were  of  a  hundred  Srates,  the  center 
of  the  population  and  the  commerce  of  this  country — when  I  see  all  this, 
sir,  I  feel  convinced  that  the  seat  of  empire  is  to  come  this  side  of  the 
Alleghanies;  and  why  may  not  St.  Louis  be  the  future  capital  of  the 
United  States  of  America?" — Extract  from  a  speech  of  Senator  Yates,  of 
lUitiois,  

'  'In  whatever  lands  bej^ond  the  sea  the  American  citizen  may  sojourn, 
he  carries  VvMth  him  the  glowing  sentiment  of  his  country's  greatness  and 
capacity  for  mighty  deeds.  He  carries  with  him  its  vast  dimensions,  as 
one  would  cany  in  his  pocket  a  two-foot  rule.  He  sometimes  puts  all 
the  great  rivers  of  Europe  together  between  two  banks,  and  measures 
against  their  united  volume  the  giant  Mississippi.  He  sketches_the  line 
of  his  country's  length  across  the  European  continent,  from  the  Pacific 
to  the  Mediterranean,  and  from  the  straits  of  Dover  to  the  Bosphorus. 
and  bids  the  by-statiders  note  the  results  of  the  comparison.  Now  and 
then  he  demonstrates  to  the  patriotic  Briton  how  the  whole  of  England 
might  be  put  in  Lake  Michigan,  leaving  ample  room  for  navigation 
on  either  side.  Is  the  Frenchman  or  German  proud  of  his  native  land, 
he  suggests  that  both  France  and  Prussia  might  be  set  down  in  the  single 
State  of  Texas,  and  still  leave  territory  enough  within  its  boundaries  to 
make  a  kingdom  as  large  as  Belgium. ' ' — EUhu  Burritt. 


THE   SANGUINE. 

"  If  it  were  asked  whose  anticipations  of  what  has  been  done  to  advance 
civilization  for  the  past  fifty  years  have  come  nearest  the  truth— those  of  the 
sanguine  and  hopeful,  or  those  of  the  cautious  and  fearful — must  it  not  be 
answered  that  no  one  of  the  former  class  had  been  sanguine  and  hopeful 
enough  to  anticipate  the  fidl  measure  of  human  progress  since  the  open- 
ing of  the  present  century?  May  it  not  be  the  most  sanguine  and  hopeful 
only,  who,  in  anticipation,  can  attain  a  due  estimation  of  the  measure  of 
future  change  and  improvement  in  the  grand  march  of  socifety  and  civili- 
zation westward  over  the  continent?" — /.  W.  Scott. 


2  0         w 


^^^l^mmmm 


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f^i 


THE  OLD  GOVERNMENT. 


But  little  more  than  the  a,i;-e  of  man,  a^  assigned  by  the 
Psalmist,  has  passed  away  since  the  adoption  of  the  Federal 
Constitution  by  our  fi\thers,  and  the  consequent  creation  of  the 
infant  government  upon  the  Atlantic  shore  of  the  continent ; 
and  yet,  in  contrast  with  the  living  facts  of  the  present,  what  we 
are  to-day  in  power  and  greatness,  the  story  of  our  national 
birth  and  growth  seems  but  a  romance  —  a  mystic  tale,  told  of 
the  dim  and  shadoAvy  past.  History  opens  to  our  view  back 
at  our  colonial  period  the  most  remarkable  civil  epoch  in  the 
career  of  mankind.  We  see  by  its  light  a  strange  people  in  a 
strange  land  struggling  in  a  wilderness  to  found  a  new  nation — 
they  "builded  wiser  than  they  knew."  When  we  contemplate 
that  period,  and  know  the  newness  of  its  history,  it  almost 
seems  as  if  Washington  had  lived  in  the  present  generation ; 
that  Franklin,  Jefferson,  Paine,-  the  Adamses,  and  Hamilton, 
had  just  ceased  contending  for  human  liberty,  and  had  just 
founded  "out  of  feebly-connected  federal  associations  one  people 
—  an  American  nation."  Venerable  fathers  and  government- 
makers  that  they  were,  they  have  passed  from  mortal  sight  into 
everlasting  history  and  heaven. 

That  the  argument  may  be  made  stronger  in  favor  of  the 
removal  of  the  National  Capital  from  its  present  place  to  the 
Mississippi  Yalley,  two  maps  of  the  country  are  submitted,  with 
accompanyiiig  statements. 

The  first  map  represents  the  territorial  extent  of  the.  Ujiited 
States  Government  at  the  time  of  the  adoption  of  the  Federal 
Constitution,  and  when  the  first  Congress,  sitting  at  Xew  York, 
located  the  seat  of  government  at  its  present  place.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  first  map  showing  the  territorial  extent  of  the 
government  at  that  period,  it  also  shows  the  vast  extent  of  wild 


10  CHANCJE    OF    NATIONAL    EMPIRE, 

country  which  has,  since  the  incoming  of  the  present  century, 
been  acquired  by  our  government. 

The  first  map  represents  the  Old  Government. 

The  second  map  represents  the  'New  Eepublic,  or  the  terri- 
torial extent  of  the  United  States  government  as  it  now  is^  and 
in  contrast  with  the  Old  Government  we  behold  the  growth  of 
the  American  nation. 

Let  us  turn  back  in  our  history  eighty  years,  and  briefly  con- 
sider, in  the  interest  of  the  subject  of  this  pamphlet,  what  the 
Old  Government  was. 

The  following  act  locating  the  seat  of  government  at  its 
present  place  was  passed  by  the  first  Congress,  July  16,  1790, 
while  in  session  at  Xew  York  : 


"  An  Act  for  establishing  the  temporary  and  permanent  seat  of 
the  Government  of  the  United  States." — [1st  Congress,  Sess. 
II,  Ch.  28,  U.  S.  Statutes  at  Large. 

Section  1.  Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Bepre- 
■sentatives  of  the  United  States  of  America  in  Congress  assembled, 
That  a  district  of  territory,  not  exceeding  ten  miles  square,  to 
be  located  as  hereafter  directed  on  the  Paver  Potomac,  at  some 
place  between  the  mouths  of  the  Eastern  Branch  and  Connogo- 
chegue,  be  and  the  same  is  hereby  accepted  for  the  permanent 
seat  of  the  Government  of  the  United  States  :  provided,  never- 
theless, that  the  operation  of  the  laws  of  the  State  within  such 
district  shall  not  be  affected  by  this  acceptance  until  the  time 
fixed  for  the  removal  of  the  government  thereto,  and  until  Con- 
gress shall  otherwise  by  law  provide. 

Sec.  2.  Ayid  be  it  further  enacted,  That  the  President  of  the 
United  States  be  authorized  to  appoint,  and,  by  suppljang  vacan- 
cies happening  from  refusals  to  act  or  other  causes,  to  keep 
in  appointment  as  long  as  may  be  necessary,  three  commis- 
sioners, who,  or  any  two  of  them,  shall,  under  direction  of  the 
President,  survey,  and,  by  proper  metes  and  bounds,  define  and 
limit  a  district  of  territory  under  the  limitations  above  men- 
tioned; and  the  district  so  defined,  limited,  and  located  shall  be 
deemed  the  district  accepted  by  this  act  for  the  permanent  seat 
of  the  Government  of  the  United  States. 

Sec.  3.    And  be  it  [/wrfAer]  enacted,    That  the  said  comui 
■sioners,  or  any  two  of  them,  shall  have  power  to  pui'chase  Ol 
accept  such  quantity  of  land  on  the   eastern  side  of  the  said 


CHANGE    OF    NATIONAL    EMPIRE.  11 

river,  within  the  said  district,  as  the  President  shall  deem  proper 
for  the  use  of  the  United  States  ;  and,  according  to  such  plans  as 
the  President  shall  approve,  the  said  comiuissioners,  or  anv  two 
of  them,  shall,  prior  to  the  iirst  Monday  in  December,  in  the 
year  one  thousand  eight  hundred,  provide  suitable  buildings  for 
the  accommodation  of  Congress  and  of  the  President,  and  for 
the  public  offices  of  the  Government  of  the  Uiuted  States. 

Sec.  4.  jind  be  it  [further']  enacted,  That  for  defraying  the 
expense  of  such  purchases  and  buildings  the  President  of  the 
United  States  shall  be  authorized  and  requested  to  accept  grants 
of  money. 

Sec.  5.  And  he  it  ^farther']  enacted,  That  prior  to  the  tirst 
Monday  in  December  next  all  offices  attached  to  the  seat  of 
Government  of  the  United  States  shall  be  removed  to,  and  until 
the  said  first  Monday  in  December,  in  the  year  one  thousand 
eight  hundred,  shall  remain  at,  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  in  the 
State  of  Pennsylvania,  at  which  place  the  session  of  Congress 
next  ensuing  the  present  shall  be  held. 

Sec.  6.  And  be  it  [furtherl  enacted,  That  on  the  said  first 
Monday  in  December,  in  the  year  one  thousand  eight  hundred, 
the  seat  of  the  Government  of  the  United  States  shall,  by  virtue 
of  this  act,  be  transferred  to  the  district  and  place  aforesaid, 
and  all  offices  attached  to  the  said  seat  of  government  shall  ac- 
cordingly be  removed  thereto  by  their  respective  holders,  and 
fehall,  after  the  said  day,  cease  to  be  exercised  elsewhere;  and 
that  the  necessary  expense  of  such  removal  shall  be  defrayed 
out  of  the  duties  on  imports  and  tonnage,  of  which  a  sufficient 
sum  is  hereby  appropriated. 

Approved  July  16,  1790. 

The  following  amendatory  act  was  also  passed  by  the  first 
Congress,  March  3,  1791,  after  the  temporary  removal  of  the 
seat  of  government  to  Philadelphia  : 

"An  Act  to  amend  an  act  for  establishing  the  temporary  and 
permanent  seat  of  the  Government  of  the  United  States." 

Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  of  the 
United  States  of  America  in  Congress  assembled,  That  so  much 
of  the  act  entitled  "  An  act  for  establishing  the  temporary  and 
permanent  seat  of  the  Government  of  the  United  States  "  as 
requires  that  the  w^hole  of  the  district  of  territory,  not  exceed- 
ing ten  miles  square,  to  be  located  on  the  Eiver  Potomac  for  the 
permanent  seat  of  the  Government  of  the  United  States,  shall 


12  CIIANdE    OF    NATIONAL    EMPIRE, 

be  located  above  the  mouth  of  the  Eastern  Branch,  be  and  w 
hereby  repealed,  and  that  it  shall  be  lawful  for  the  President  to 
make  any  part  of  the  territory  below  the  said  limit  and  above 
the  mouth  of  Hunting  Creek  a  part  of  the  said  district,  so  as  to 
include  a  convenient  part  of  the  Eastern  Branch  and  of  the 
lands  lying  on  the  lower  side  thei-eof,  and  also  the  town  of 
Alexandria ;  and  the  territory  so  to  be  included  shall  form  a  part 
of  the  district,  not  exceeding  ten  miles  square,  for  the  perma- 
nent seat  of  the  Government  of  the  United  States,  in  like  man- 
ner and  to  all  intents  and  purposes  as  if  the  same  had  been 
within  the  purview  of  the  above  recited  act :  provided,  that 
nothing  herein  contained  shall  authorize  the  erection  of  the  pub- 
lic buildings  otherwise  than  on  the  Maryland  side  of  the  Eiver 
Potomac,  as  required  by  the  aforesaid  act. 

Approved  March  3,  1701. 

At  the  time  of  the  passage  of  these  acts  there  Avas  not  even  a 
village  where  Washington  City  now  stands,  and,  as  will  be  seen 
by  the  act  of  July  16,  1790,  the  seat  of  government  was  not  to 
be  removed  to  its  present  place  for  ten  years  after  the  passage 
of  the  act,  that  time  being  given  to  prepare  suitable  accommo- 
dations, buildings,  etc.,  for  the  transaction  of  business.  ^ 

The  following  act,  passed  May  6, 1796,  by  the  fourth  Congress, 
while  sitting  at  Philadelphia,  provides  for  the  public  expense 
necessary  to  the  permanent  establishment  of  the  seat  of  gov- 
ernment at  Washington  City : 

"An  Act  authorizing  a  loan  for  the  use  of  the  City  of  Washing- 
ton, in  the  District  of  Columbia,  and  for  other  purposes  therein 
mentioned." 

Section  1.  Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  Souse  of  Represen- 
tatives of  the  United  States  of  America  in  Coyigress  assembled, 
That  the  commissioners  under  the  act  entitled  "An  act  for  esta))- 
lishing  the  temporary  and  permanent  seat  of  the  Government  of 
the  United  States,"  be  and  they  are  hereb}'  authorized,  under  the 
direction  of  the  President  of  the  United  States,  to  borrow,  from 
time  to  time,  such  sum  or  sums  of  money  as  the  said  President 
shall  direct,  not  exceeding  three  hundred  thousand  dollars  in  the 
whole,  and  not  exceeding  two  hundred  thousand  dollars  in  any 
one  year,  at  an  interest  not  exceeding  six  per  centum  per  annum, 
and  reimbursable  at  any  time  after  the  year  one  thousand  eight 
hundred  and  three,  b}'  installments  not  exceeding  one-fifth  of  the 


CHANGE    OF    NATIONAL   EMPIRE.  13 

whole  sum  borrowed  in  any  one  year;  which  said  loan  or  loans 
shall  be  appropriated  and  applied  by  the  said  commissioners,  in 
carrying  into  effect  the  above  recited  act,  under  the  control  of 
the  President  of  the  United  States. 

Sec.  2.  Atul  be  it  further  enacted,  That  all  the  lots,  except  those 
BOW  appropriated  to  public  use  in  the  said  city,  vested  in  the 
commissioners  aforesaid,  or  in  trustees,  in  any  manner,  for  the 
r.se  of  the  United  States,  now  holden  and  remaining  unsold, 
shall  be  and  are  hereby  declared  and  made  chargeable  with  the 
repayment  of  all  and  every  sum  and  sums  of  money,  and  in- 
terest thereupon,  which  shall  be  borrowed  in  pursuance  of  this 
act;  and  to  the  end  that  the  same  may  be  fully  and  punctually 
repaid,  the  said  lots,  or  so  many  of  them  as  shall  be  necessary, 
r-hall  be  sold  and  conveyed  at  such  times,  and  in  such  manner, 
and  on  such  terms,  as  the  President  of  the  United  States  for  the 
time  being  shall  direct ;  and  the  moneys  arising  from  the  said 
sales  shalfbe  applied  and  appropriated,  under  his  direction,  to 
the  discharge  of  the  said  loans,  after  first  paying  the  original 
proprietors  any  balances  due  to  them  respectively,  according  to 
their  several  conveyance  to  the  said  commissioners  or  trustees. 
And  if  the  product  of  the  sales  of  all  the  said  lots  shall  prove 
inadequate  to  the  payment  of  the  principal  and  interest  of  the 
sum  borrowed  under  this  act,  then  the  deficiencies  shall  be  paid 
by  the  United  States,  agreeably  to  the  terms  of  the  said  loans  ; 
for  it  is  expressly  hereby  declared  and  provided  that  the  United 
States  shall  be  liable  only  for  the  repayment  of  the  balance  of 
the  moneys  to  be  borrowed  under  this  act,  which  shall  remain 
unsatisfied  by  the  sales  of  all  the  lots  aforesaid,  if  any  such 
balance  shall  thereafter  happen. 

Sec.  3.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  every  purchaser  or  pur- 
chasers, his  or  their  heirs  or  assigns,  from  the  said  commission- 
ers or  trustees,  under  the  direction  of  the  said  President,  of  any 
of  the  lots  herein  before  mentioned,  after  paying  the  price  and 
fulfilling  the  terms  stipulated  and  agreed  to  be  paid  and  fulfilled, 
shall  have,  hold,  and  enjoy  the  said  lot  or  lots  so  bought,  free, 
clear,  and  exonerated  from  the  charge  and  incumbrance  hereby 
laid  upon  the  same. 

Sec.  4.  And  be  it  further  enacted.  That  the  commissioners  afore- 
said shall  semi-annually  render  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury 
.-i  particular  account  of  the  receipts  and  expenditures  of  all 
moneys  intrusted  to  them,  and  also  the  progress  and  state  of 
the  business,  and  of  the  funds  under  their  administration ;  and 
that  the  said  secretary  lay  the  same  before  Congress  at  every 
eession  after  the  receipt  thereof. 

Approved  May  6,  1796. 


14  CHANGE    OF    NATIONAL   EMPIRE. 

The  District  of  Columbia,  in  which  the  seat  of  government  is 
located,  and  which  was  defined  in  the  act  of  July  16,  1790,  was 
ceded  by  the  States  of  Maryland  and  Virginia  to  the  General 
Government.  It  consisted  of  a  tract  of  country  ten  miles 
square  until  18-16,  when  by  act  of  Congress  (July  9  of  that  year) 
that  portion  ceded  by  Yirginia  was  restored  to  her.  The 
restoration  was  completed  by  a  proclamation  of  President  Polk, 
bearing  date  of  September  7,  1846. 

This  left  the  Government  in  control  of  the  portion  ceded  by 
Maryland,  consisting  of  sixty  square  miles.  The  City  of  Wash- 
ington was  founded  in  1793,  and  in  1800  the  seat  of  government 
was  moved  from  its  temporary  location  at  Philadelphia  to  its 
present  place.  At  that  time  the  entire  territorial  area  of  the 
United  States  was  only  610,512  square  miles,  which  was  less  than 
one-fourth  its  present  size,  exclusive  of  the  Eussian  possessions  ; 
and  by  reference  to  the  map  of  the  country  at  that  time  it  will 
be  seen  that  the  American  nation,  which  our  venerable  fathers 
founded  after  years  of  toil  and  bloodshed,  onh'  consisted  of  a 
little  strip  of  uninviting  country  stretching  along  the  Atlantic 
shore  from  New  Hampshire  to  Georgia,  and  the  wild  and 
unknown  Northwestern  Territory,  reaching  beyond  the  AUegha- 
nies  to  the  Mississippi  river  and  the  lakes.  In  other  words,  the 
United  States  at  that  time  consisted  of  the  following  States  and 
one  Territory:  New  Hampshire,  Massachusetts,  Ehode  Island, 
Connecticut,  New  York,  New  Jersey,  Pennsylvania,  Delaware, 
Maryland,  Virginia,  North  Carolina,  South  Carolina,  Georgia, 
and  the  Northwestern  Territory-.  The  population  of  the  country 
at  that  time  was  3,929,827,  which  was  but  little  more  than  the 
present  population  of  the  State  of  New  York.  Our  sea-coast 
was  large,  but  our  commerce  of  little  value.  We  had  not  more 
than  1,000  miles  of  river  navigation  on  the  Atlantic  slope,  and 
the  great  lakes  were  far  out  in  the  West  and  of  no  use  at  the 
time.  The  Mississippi  river  was  but  little  known,  and  even  the 
Spaniards  had  navigated  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  for  two  hundred 
years  before  its  discovery.  At  that  time  there  were  no  railroads, 
no  steamboats,  no  telegraphs,  but  little  education,  and  the  conti- 
nent still  almost  a  wilderness,  and  our  ancestors  struggling 
against  nature  in  her  rudest  form  and  the  wild  savages  of  the 
forests, 


CHANGE    OF    NATIONAL    EMPIRE.  15 

The  debates  upon  the  bill  locating  the  seat  of  government 
at  its  present  place  show  three  considerations  involved  in  the 
discussion  : 

First,  that  common  selfishness  which  is  everywhere  seen  in 
the  acts  of  men.  Many  desired  its  location  where  it  would  build 
up  local  and  personal  interests. 

Another  argument  was  in  favor  of  putting  the  Capital  where 
it  could  be  easily  defended  in  time  of  war. 

But  the  most  important  consideration  was  that  which  required 
its  location  in  a  central-position,  so  as  to  accommodate  the  States 
as  they  wei'e  situated  along  the  shore  of  the  Atlantic.  This,  I 
repeat,  as  the  debates  upon  the  removal  of  the  seat  of  govern- 
ment from  Xew  York  to  its  present  place  show,  was  the  most 
important  consideration.  The  Constitution  had  just  been  adopted 
and  the  new  Government  took  its  place  among  the  nations  of 
the  earth,  and  the  representatives  of  the  people  at  once  sought 
to  permanently  locate  the  seat  of  government  at  such  a  place  as 
would  be  most  central  to  the  States  and  the  business  interests  of 
the  people.  Such  was  the  wisdom  of  the  representatives  of  the 
people  at  the  foundation  of  the  Old  Government,  and  such  ought 
to  be  the  wisdom  of  the  representatives  of  the  people  at  the 
foundation  of  the  Xew  Eepublic. 


THE    NEW   EEPITBLIC. 


Passing  from  a  consideration  of  the  Old  Government,  let  us 
now  turn  to  a  consideration  of  the  New  Eepublic,  or  of  our 
country  as  it  is  now,  in  all  its  broad  extent.  Little  did  our 
ancestors  dream,  when  struggling  for  independence  iipon  the 
narrow  slope  of  the  Atlantic,  that  they  were  founding  a  nation 
that  would  yet  grow  to  be  the  greatest  in  mankind's  history. 
Little  did  they  know  that  they  were  organizing  for  a  civil 
conquest  of  the  continent  —  that  from  the  parent  home  colonial 
columns  would  go  out  across  the  continent  in  ever}^  direction, 
seeking  new  homes  and  greater  fortunes.  No  warrior  ever 
pi'osecuted  a  conquest  against  any  nation  that  conformed  to 
more  exact  military  rule  than  that  of  the  civil  conquest  of  this 
continent.  While  the  central  column  was  moving  to  the  heart 
of  the  continent  and  onward  to  the  great  mountains,  the  right 
and  left  columns  were  flanking  the  great  Lakes  on  the  North  and 
the  Gulf  on  the  South.  Nothing  retarded  the  movement  or 
changed  the  direction  of  the  pioneers  and  explorers  but  the 
arbitrary  policy  of  the  Government  in  establishing  Indian  reser- 
vations. While  the  central  and  right  and  left  columns  were 
marching  in  the  front,  a  new^  movement  was  projected,  and  a 
force  was  sent  around  Cape  Horn  which  entered  by  the  Pacific 
Ocean,  in  the  rear  of  the  continent,  on  the  golden  shores  of 
California;  and  thus  the  conquest  goes  on,  and  soon  the  columns 
will  all  meet  and  the  continent  be  carved  into  one  constellation 
of  great  States. 

By  reference  to  the  map  it  will  bo  seen  that  the  New  Eepublic, 
or  the  territorial  extent  of  the  Government  as  it  now  is,  spans 
the  continent  in  extent  from  ocean  to  ocean,  and  in  breadth 
reaches  from  the  lakes  to  the  Gulf.  Instead  of  the  old  thirteen 
States  and  one  Territory,  which  constituted  the  Old  Government, 


0 

1^ 


CFIA:»(iE    OF    NATIONAL    EMPIRE. 


17 


the  following  new  States  aud  Territories  have  beon  added, 
which,  in  their  broad  extent  and  union  with  the  old  States,  con- 
stitute the  New  Kepublic : 


Kentucky, 

Vermont, 

Tennessee, 

Ohio, 

Louisiana, 

Indiana, 

Mississij^pi, 

Illinois, 


NEW    STATES. 

Alabama, 

Maine, 

Missouri, 

Colorado, 

Arkansas, 

Michigan, 

Florida, 

Iowa, 


Texas, 

TVisconsin, 

California, 

Minnesota, 

Oregon, 

Kansas, 

Nevada, 

Nebraska. 


New  Mexico, 

Utah, 

Washington, 


TERRITORIES. 

Dakota, 
Arizona, 
Montana, 


Idaho, 

Wyoming, 

N,  W.  America. 


These  added  States  and  Territories  in  themselves  combine 
all  the  elements  of  a  great  nation,  far  greater  than  that  of  our 
fathers.  Whereas  the  area  of  the  Old  Government  was  610,512 
square  miles,  the  New  Eepublic  has  an  area  of  2,950,264  square 
miles,  being  more  than  four  times  greater  in  extent  than  the  Old 
Government,  exclusive  of  Alaska,  which  contains  577,390  square 
miles.  With  the  expansion  of  the  territorial  extent  of  the 
Kepublic  has  also  been  added  immense  river,  lake  and  ocean 
facilities  for  water  transportation. 

It  is  estimated  that  over  two-fifths  of  our  national  territory 
is  now  drained  by  the  Mississippi  river  and  its  tributaries,  and 
more  than  one-half  is  embraced  by  what  may  be  called  its 
middle  region,  one-fourth  of  its  total  area  belongs  to  the  Pacific, 
aud  one-sixth  to  the  Atlantic  proper,  one  twenty-sixth  to  the 
Lakes,  one-ninth  to  the  Gulf,  or  one-third  to  U\g  Atlantic, 
including  the  I^akes  and  the  Gulf. 

In  reference  to  the  facilities  for  water  transportation,  a  cal- 
culation was  made  at  the  office  of  the  Coast  Survey,  for  1853, 
which  gives  for  the  total  main  shore  line  of  the  I^'nited  States, 


18  CHANGE    OF    NATIONAL    EMPIRE. 

exclusive  of  sounds,  islands,  etc.,  twelve  thousand  miles,  of 
•which  fifty-four  per  cent,  belongs  to  the  Atlantic  coast,  eighteen 
to  the  Pacific,  and  twenty-eight  to  the  Gulf  coast ;  and  that  if 
all  these  be  followed,  and  the  rivers  entered  to  the  head  of  tide 
water,  the  total  line  would  be  extended  to  33,069  miles.  Instead 
of  1,000  miles  of  available  river  navigation  belonging  to  the  Old 
Government,  we  now  have  in  our  broad  extent  about  20,000 
miles,  as  follows  : 

Miles . 

Mississippi,  from  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  to  Fort  Snellinor 2,131 

Missouri,  from  mouth  to  Boseman .3,525 

Ohio  to  Pittsburg 1,030 

Illinois  to  LaSallc 300 

Ouacliita  to  Arkadelphia 601 

Ked  Eiver  to  Jefterson 720 

Yazoo  to  Le  Flore 257 

Little  Red  to  Searcey  Landing 45 

Arkansas  to  Fort  Gibson SOO 

"White  to  Forsyth 092 

Black  to  Pocahontas 1.30 

Currant  to  Doniphan 60 

Tennessee  to  Florence 289 

Cumberland  to  Nashville 193 

Osage  to  Osceola , 200 

Kansas 200 

Big  Sioux 75 

Yellow  Stone 800 

Minnesota 295 

St.  Croix GO 

Chippewa — 

Monongahela  to  Geneva  (slack-water,  4  locks) 91 

Muskingum  to  Dresden,  do  8    do    100 

GreenKiver  to  Bowling  Green,do  5    do    lSt'> 

Kentucky  to  Brooklyn,  do  5    do    117 

Kanawha  to  Gauley "Bridge 100 

Wabash  to  Lafayette 3.35 

Salt  to  Shepherdsville 30 

Sondey  to  l^ouisa 25 

Eio  Grande 2.000 

Colorado 1.000 

Sacramento 500 

Columbia 500 

Snake  Fork 310 

Clark's  Fork 225 

Willamette 200 

Rivers  of  Atlantic  Slope 1.000 

NOTK. — Steamboats  have  ascended  the  Des  Moines  to  Des  Moines  Citj-,  Iowa  Eiv-ei- 
to  Iowa  City,  Cedar  Kiver  to  Cedar  Kapids,  and  the  Maquoketa  to  Magaketa  City, 
but  only  during  temporary  floods.  Boats  have  gone  up  many  other  small  rivers 
in  past  years,  but  as  the  country  becomes  more  cultivated  the  wash  and  drift  are 
greater,  and  the  smaller  streams  fiU  up  and  are  thus  rendered  useless  for  navigable 
puj-posee. 


CHANGE    OF    NATIONAL   EMPIRE. 


19 


In  addition  to  the  immense  increase  of  available  river  naviga- 
tion, -we  have  also  acquired  vast  mineral  fields  of  wealth  in 
almost  every  part  of  our  domain.  So,  too,  have  we  added 
immense  forests  of  valuable  timber  of  all  kinds  necessary  to 
supply  the  wants  of  the  industrious  and  growing  people. 

Taking  the  continent  as  a  whole,  from  the  Atlantic  to  the 
Pacific,  and  from  our  northern  boundary  to  the  Gulf,  it  is  not 
equaled  in  natural  advantages  by  an}-  country  on  the  globe,  and 
none  other  is  more  calculated  to  facilitate  the  advancement  of 
civilization.  Its  immense  navigable  advantages,  its  dense 
forests  of  every  variety  of  valuable  timber,  its  outstretching 
expanse  of  fertile  lands,  and  its  inexhaustible  and  incalculable 
minerals,  combine  to  make  it  the  greatest  nation  of  the  earth  in 
commerce,  agriculture,  mechanics,  and  wealth.  In  support  of 
this  statement,  let  us  appeal  to  facts,  and  then  see,  after  a  care- 
ful examination,  if  we  can  judge  anything  of  the  future  by 
the  past. 

Besides  the  immense  acquirement  of  natural  wealth,  to  us  are 
given  the  wonderful  creations  of  genius.  "We  have  the  railroad 
traversing  our  lands  everywhere;  we  have  the  steamboat  upon 
all  our  navigable  rivers ;  we  have  the  telegraph  connecting  our 
cities,  and  the  steam-engine  doing  our  bidding  in  almost  every 
phase  of  industrial  enterprise.  Thus  we  are,  Avith  all  our  conti- 
nental growth,  a  new  nation,  requiring  new  laws,  new  advan- 
tages, and  more  appropriate  uses  in  governmental  affairs.  Our 
unlimited  sea-coast  uniting  us  with  all  the  commerce  of  the 
world,  and  our  vast  domain  putting  us  within  reach  of  every 
climate  on  the  globe,  and  all  our  natural  advantages  combined, 
point  to  our  future  imperial  greatness ;  and  at  every  step  we 
take  forward  wisdom  tells  us  that  the  conditions  and  regulations 
of  the  Old  Government  ai-e  not  adapted  to  the  wants  of  the  New 
Republic,  for  they  were  onl}-  the  regulations  and  conditions  of 
childhood,  and  not  suited  to  the  growth  and  maturity  of  man- 
hood. It  will  be  found,  on  examination,  that  we  are  met  every- 
where with  evidence  demanding  a  change  of  the  National  Capi- 
tal from  the  Old  Government  to  the  New  Eepublic. 


THE    NATIONAL    GROWTH 


MATERIAL  POWER  OF  THE  CONTINENT. 


Man  everywhere  and  in  all  ages  has  ever  sought  for  power  and 
dominion.  He  has  traversed  the  oceans,  seas,  continents,  and 
islands;  ascended  the  rivers  and  scaled  the  mountains;  defied 
the  climates  and  the  great  depths ;  and  everywhere  untiringly 
moves  on  after  dominion  and  profit.  Before  our  independence 
was  achieved,  the  thought  of  continental  empire  had  already 
entered  the  minds  of  many  far-seeing  persons  in  this  and  other 
lands.  '^Prophetic  Yoices  about  America"  were  not  wanting  in 
numbers  to  foretell  the  triumphs  of  that  spirit  of  adventure 
which,  in  the  fifteenth  centurj',  carried  Yasco  di  Gama  around  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  Columbus  to  America.  Even  the  age 
seemed  to  be  instinctive  w  ith  a  better  life,  and  prophets  of  one 
land  and  heroes  of  another  were  unqualified!}''  pointing  to 
America  as  the  place  for  the  future  empire  of  the  world. 

As  early  as  1755,  John  Adams,  but  twenty  years  old,  and  the 
future  statesman  of  Massachusetts,  wrote  to  a  friend  in  the  fol- 
lowing words:  "Soon  after  the  reformation  a  few  people  came 
over  into  this  new  world  for  conscience'  sake.  Perhaps  this 
apparently  trivial  incident  may  transfer  the  great  seat  of  empire 
into  America.  It  looks  likely  to  me;  for  if  we  can  remove  the 
turbulent  Gallics,  our  people,  according  to  the  most  exact  com- 
putations, will  in  another  century  become  more  numerous  than 
in  England  itself.  Should  this  be  the  case,  siuee  we  have,  I  may 
say,  all  the  naval  stores  of  the  nation  in  our  hands,  it  will  be 
easy  to  obtain  a  mastery  of  the  seas,  and  the  united  force  of  all 
Europe  will  not  be  able  to  subdue^s." 


CHANGE    OF    NATIONAL    EMPIRE.  21 

This  was  the  expression  of  a  young  school-teacher  twenty-oue 
years  before  the  Declaration  of  Independence  was  made  by  the 
colonies.  John  Adams  lived  to  see  a  system  of  government 
founded  which,  with  broad  and  comprehensive  policies,  was  des- 
tined to  bring  forth  upon  the  American  continent  a  nation  of 
gi'ander  proportions  and  greater  triumphs  in  civilization  than 
his  most  enlarged  understanding  could  comprehend. 

His  son,  John  Quincy  Adams,  at  a  later  day,  remarked  of  his 
father's  letter :  "  Had  the  political  part  of  it  been  written  by  the 
minister  of  state  of  a  European  monarchy,  at  the  close  of  a  long- 
life  spent  in  the  government  of  nations,  it  would  have  been  pro- 
nounced worth}^  of  the  united  wisdom  of  a  Burleigh,  a  Sully,  or 
an  Oxenstiern.     In  one  hold  outline  he  has  exhibited  by  anticipa- 
tion a  long  succession  of  prophetic  history,  the  fulfillment  of  ichich 
is  barely  yet  in  progress,  responding  exactly  hitlierto  to  his  foresight, 
but  the  full  accomplishment  of  which  is  reserved  for  after  ages." 
Next  to  John  Adams  stands  Mr.  Jefferson,  with  clear  concep- 
tions of  the  future  of  the  American   nation.      Soon   after  the 
treatj'  with  the  Kaskaskia  Indians,  by  which  was   acquired  a 
broad  belt  of  territory  extending  from  the  mouth  of  the  Illinois 
river  to  and  up  the  Ohio,  Mr.  Jefferson  tirst  began  to  look  with 
serious  considerations  to  the  future  greatness  of  the  nation ;  and 
the  treaty  with  the  Louisiana  purchase  led  him  to  say  that  he 
'•  would  not  give  one  inch  of  the  waters  of  the  Mississippi  river 
to  any  nation."     And  with  prophetic  conception  he  was  again 
led  to  say,  "  When  we  shall  be  full  on  this  side  the  Mississippi 
river  we  may  lay  off  a  range  of  States  on  the  western  bank, 
irom  the  head  to  the  mouth,   and   so,   range  after  range,  ad- 
vancing compactly  as  we  multiply."    Thus  it  is,  each  succeeding 
generation  does  its  work  in  fulfillment  of  the  great  prophecies 
of  those  wise  men. 

Before  our  independence  was  acknowledged,  French  Catholic 
missionaries  had  descended  the  Mississippi  river,  and  by  the. 
right  of  discovery ,  claimed  the  country  along  its  shores  for 
France,  and  named  it  Louisiana,  after  King  Louis.  In  1762 
France  ceded  it  to  Spain.  In  1800  Bonaparte  became  First 
Consul,  and  induced  Spain  to  cede  it  back  to  France.  Soon 
after  the  cession  France  became  fearful  of  England  on  account 
of  national  difficulties,  and  sold  the  country  to  the  United  States 


22  CHANGE    OF    NATIONAL    EMPIRE. 

for  $15,000,000.  This  territory  was  known  as  the  Louisiana 
Purchase,  and  included  all  the  country  of  Louisiana,  Mississippi, 
Arkansas,  Missouri,  Iowa,  and  part  of  3Iinnesota,  Nebraska, 
and  Kansas,  besides  a  protended  claim  to  the  whole  territory 
extending  to  the  Pacific  Ocean.  It  must  be  kept  in  mind  that 
all  these  vast  possessions  did  not  belong  to  the  United  States  at 
the  time  of  the  location  of  the  seat  of  government  at  its  present 
place.  In  addition  to  the  Louisiana  purchase,  Texas  was  annexed 
in  1845,  ]S"ew  Mexico,  California,  and  all  the  territory  between 
the  Mississippi  river  and  the  Pacific  ocean  has  been  added 
within  the  present  century;  and  in  rapid  succession  has  State 
after  State  come  into  the  Union,  and  the  telegraph,  the  rail- 
road,-the  steamboat,  the  printing-press,  and  the  schoolhouse,  have 
followed  on  in  this  great  march  of  empire,  and  taken  the  place 
of  the  Indian  trail,  the  wigwam,  the  hunting-ground,  and  the 
home  of  the  buffalo. 

Turn  which  way  'we  will,  upon  this  "  vast,  wide  continent," 
and  wo  see  the  chain  of  empire  being  made  complete  under 
one  all-embracing  Constitution.  Climates  of  every  character, 
minerals  of  every  quality  and  value,  rivers  stretching  in  great 
lengths  and  uniting  every  zone,  all  combine  to  give  greatness 
and  destiny  to  this  nation,  made  of  the  wisdom  and  excellences 
of  all  nations,  and  this  people,  made  of  the  commingled  and 
reo-enerated  blood  of  all  people.  Sublime  thought  I  Grandest 
and  broadest  of  our  age ;  that  which  energizes  the  individual 
and  regales  the  future  with  royal  promise. 

Thus  step  by  step  has  the  Eepublic  advanced  in  greatness,  as 
predicted  by  the  fathers,  until  with  clear  vision  John  Bright^ 
the  great  English  statesman  and  eommoner,  sees  beyond  the 
present  the  fulfilment  of  the  prophecies  of  the  fathers,  and  with 
conscious  certainty  speaks  as  follows  of  the  future  nationality 
of  the  New  Eepublic : 

"I  see  one  vast  confederation  stretching  from  the  frozen 
North  in  one  unbroken  line  to  the  glowing  South,  and  from  the 
wild  billows  of  the  Atlantic  westward  to  the  calmer  waters  of 
the  Pacific,  and  I  see  one  people,  and  one  law,  and  one  language, 
and  one  faith,  and  over  all  that  vast  continent,  the  home  of 
freedom  and  refuge  for  the  oppressed  of  every  race  and  of 
every  clime." 


CHANGE  OF  NATIOXAL  EMPIRE.  23 


CO^DIERCE  OF  THE  OCEAN. 

Turning  from  our  national  growth  to  a  consideration  of  tiie 
material  power  of  the  continent,  the  first  interest  to  be  eon- 
bidered  is  the  growth  of  our  commerce  upon  the  ocean.  This 
element  of  our  progress  comes  first,  as  the  legitimate  conse- 
quence of  the  infant  nation  having  its  existence  along  the 
Atlantic  shore  of  the  continent,  which  was  akin  to  the  com- 
mercial shores  of  Western  Europe. 

Besides  the  immense  territorial  expansion  of  our  Government, 
its  material  growth  and  power  is  of  infinite  concern.  Tbe  fol- 
lowing tables  show  what  our  commerce  was  at  the  time  of  the 
adoption  of  the  Constitution,  and  hoAv  it  has  grown  until  the 
present  time. 

But  the  growth  of  our  ocean  commerce  has  not  been  confined 
to  our  Eastern  sea-board,  nor  to  the  development  of  the  Atlantic 
slope,  by  any  means.  Already  the  Yalley  States  furnish  the 
greater  part  of  the  foreign  commerce  of  the  country,  and  the 
Pacific  slope  is  also  rapidly  adding  to  its  value  and  its  tonnage. 


24 


CHANGE    OF    NATIONAL    EMPIRE. 


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(Mt^l^OrtOXi—  ~Cit>.C^i— 'i2i— lCO->!tiCi 

■^o  cTtt  -n  c;  c;  X  rTcT c^t-- 1-  rf  o  o~o  o" 

IC  O  O  O  1— i  1— I  I—  Cl  r-  ir  O  CC  -T  r-i  i.n  !>.  C^J  X 

c»ooxo^ooc2»OL^t—  t-xcoiaoco 


I— 11— li-HrHi— l'M(M^«C^'M(M<MCIS^'MCOCC' 

»  X  X  X  X  X  X  y.^  X  'X  X  X  X  X  X  X  X  ! 


ciian(;e  of  national  empire. 


25 


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I— 'SJCOXClt-00-tCOXr-lT>(C5l^1-S4COS4i— IXISO: 


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X  X  X  X  X  X  X  X  X  X  X  X  X 

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»0  'S  IS  IS  lO  IS  IS  IS  IS  CO  CO  CO  CO  CO  CO  o 

xxxoxxxxxxxxxxxx 

26 


CHANGE    OF    NATIONAL   EMPIRE. 


•  nSpaoj 

JO  3SB;U3D-J3tI 


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rH     I-. 
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i:oi>.iO(nioooooot-i>.ia-^<Mioi>. 

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I— 

CHANGE    OF   NATIONAL   EMPIRE. 


27 


COMMEECE  OF  THE  LAKES. 

From  the  commerce  of  the  ocean  we  pass  to  a  consideration  of 
the  commerce  of  the  great  lakes.  The  following  tables  show  their 
statistics  of  measurement  and  the  tonnage  of  their  carrying  fleet : 


TABLE   OF   MEASUREMENT    OF   THE   LAKES. 


Lakes. 

Greatest 
length. 

Greatest 
breadth. 

Mean 
depth. 

Elevation. 

Area. 

Superior 

Miles . 
355 
320 
260 
240 
180 

Miles . 

160 

100 

160 

80 

35 

Feet. 

900 
000 
900 
84 
500 

Feet. 
G27 
578 
574 
565 
232 

Sq .  miZes . 
32,000 

Michigan 

22,000 

Huron 

20,400 

Erie 

9,600 

Ontario 

6.300 

Total 

1,555 

90,000 

TABLE    SHOWING    THE    CARRYING    FLEET    ON    THE    LAKES. 


Steamers  .. 
P*ropellers 

Barks 

Briofs 

Schooners.. 

Sloops 

Barges 

Totals 


No. 


143 

254 

74 

85 

1,068 

16 

3 


1.643 


Tonnage. 


53,522 

70,253 

33,203 

24,831 

227,831 

667 

3,719 


413,026 


Value. 


^2,190,300 

3,573,300 

982,900 

526,200 

5,955,550 

12,770 

17,000 


$13,257,020 


The  above  statement  shows  only  the  carrying  fleet  of  the 
United  States  on  the  lakes.    The  Canadians  also  have  a  largo  fleet. 

These  lakes  are  estimated  to  drain  an  entire  area  of  333,515 
square  miles,  and  discharge  their  waters  into  the  ocean  through 
the  Eiver  St.  Lawrence,  which  is  navigable  from  Lake  Erie 
downward  to  all  .vessels  not  exceeding  130  feet  keel,  26  feet 
beam  and  10  feet  draft.  Previous  to  1800  there  was  scarcely  a 
craft  above  the  size  of  an  Indian  canoe  in  what  was  then  called 
a  pathless  wilderness.  The  first  American  schooner  launched 
upon  Lake  Erie  was  built  at  Erie,  Pennsylvania,  in  1797,  but 
was  soon  lost. 

The  shipping  employed  on  these  groat  lakes  has  had  various 
alternations  of  fortune.     The  development  of  steam  and  sailing 


28 


CHANGE    OF    NATIONAL   EMPIRE. 


vessels  began  to  be  conspicuous  in  1833,  and  vapidly  rose  in  the 
succeeding  five  j^ears  to  50,000  tons.  In  1843  another  great  im- 
pulse was  given  to  that  trade,  and,  with  the  exception  of  a  slight 
reverse  in  1857,  it  has  steadily  increased  to  the  present  time. 
The  present  commerce  of  these  lakes  has  an  annual  value  of 
$450,000,000,  or  more  than  twice  the  external  commerce  of  the 
whole  countiy,  and,  as  will  be  seen  by  the  preceding  table,  is 
carried  on  by  a  fleet  of  1,643  vessels. 

COMMEECE  OF  THE  RIYEES. 

From  the  lakes  and  their  commerce  let  us  turn  to  the  rivers 
and  their  commerce.  I  have  already  stated  that  the  rivers  of 
the  Atlantic  slope,  the  Mississippi  and  her  tributaries,  together 
with  the  rivers  of  Texas  and  the  Pacific  slope,  would  make 
20,000  miles  of  navigable  water.  Upon  these  inland  waters 
floats  the  greatest  commerce  of  the  countiy. 

The  following  table  exhibits  the  carrying  fleet  of  the  Missis- 
sippi and  her  tributaries : 

TABLE  SHOWING  THE   CONVEYING    FLEET    OF    THE    MISSISSIPPI  RIVER 
AND    ITS    TRIBUTARIES. 


Ports. 


*Cairo 

Cincinnati 

Dubuque 

Evansville 

Galena 

Keokuk  

Louisville 

Memphis , 

*New  Albany 

Nashville 

*Natchez 

New  Orleans 

Paducah 

Pittsburg  (81  tugs). 

*Quincy 

St.   Paul 

St.  Louis 

*Vicksburg 

Wheeling 


Totals. 


-Si 

1" 

m  c 
a>  0 

0^ 

iso 

20 
25 
20 
15 
66 
70 

"12 

"so 

10 
159 

"39 
210 

"44 

30,497.16 
3,204.37 
3,043  51 
2,297.77 
1,173.86 

14,100.64 
9,849.62 

42,983 
5,137 
5.019 
3,305 
2,192 
25,425 
15,121 

$4,134,000 
459,500 
402,600 
435,000 
178,500 
1,994,500 
1,011,200 

1,183.06 

2,i56 

168,666 

15,800.07 

1,100.80 

33,598.00 

21,625 

2,893 

42,471 

1,292,000 

205,000 

3,920,800 

3,088.52 
86,532.34 

4,973 
110,769 

607.500 
8,830,000 

9,538.11 

8,075 

918,600 

910 

216.067.83 

292,144 

$24,556,600 

*  No  registration  at  these  ports,  for  ■want  of  local  inspectors. 


CHANGE    OB'    NATIONAL    EMPIRE.  29 

Touching  tho  commerce  of  the  Mississippi  Valley,  I  herehy 
submit  a  paper  by  Professor  S.  Waterhouse,  of  this  city,  which 
Avas  read  before  the  Eiver  Improvement  Convention  held  in  St. 
Louis,  February  12th  and  13th,  1867.  Although  the  letter  has 
some  parts  not  specially  adapted  to  my  purpose  in  this  connec- 
tion, on  account  of  discussing  outside  interests,  yet  it  contains 
that  which  bears  with  force  directly  upon  this  discussion,  and 
will  be  found  interesting  to  the  reader : 

Ilr.  President  and  Gentlemen  of  the  Convention: 

The  right  of  a  government  to  institute  internal  improvements 
is  one  of  the  essential  incidents  of  sovereignty.  Under  all  forms 
of  polity,  this  power  is  justly  vested  in  the  central  authority. 
Even  despotic  governments,  which  reverse  the  republican  idea 
and  administer' aifairs  of  state  in  the  interest  of  a  titled  minor- 
ity, have  exercised  this  power  for  the  benefit  of  the  nation. 
Austria  has  expended  large  sums  for  the  improvement  of  the 
navigation  of  the  Danube.  But  a  democracy  rests  upon  the 
fundamental  principle  that  the  interests  of  the  people  are 
supreme.  Our  republican  Government,  in  which  is  vested  the 
exclusive  control  of  internal  improvements,  is  then  bound  by  the 
most  solemn  obligations  to  consult  the  general  welfare  of  the 
nation.  But  if  it  neglects  this  trust,  then  momentous  interests 
which  have  been  confided  to  its  sole  guardianship  and  fostering 
care  must  suffer,  and  popular  rights,  which  can  appeal  only  to 
constitutional  processes  of  enforcement,  will  be  ignored. 

In  the  present  instance,  our  duty  is  not  arduous.  The  unmis- 
takable jurisdiction  of  Congress,  the  frequent  precedents  and 
liberal  policy  of  the  Government,  leave  us  only  the  easy  task  of 
showing  that  the  proposed  improvement  of  the  Mississippi  Eap- 
ids  is  a  work  of  national  importance. 

The  Mississippi  and  its  affluents,  draining  an  area  of  more 
than  1,000,000  square  miles,  and  affording  a  water-carriage  of 
more  than  15,000  miles,  form  a  system  of  river  navigation 
unequaled  in  the  civilized  world.  The  entire  coast  line  of  the 
United  States  is  less  than  13,000  miles  long ;  but  the  river  line 
of  the  Mississippi  and  its  tributaries,  including  both  banks,  is 
more  than  30,000  miles  long.  The  trade  which  now  floats  on 
these  waters  is  immense.  Its  magnitude  startles  the  imagina- 
tion. In  1860  the  total  foreign  commerce  of  the  United  States 
was  8760,000,000.  In  1865  "the  trade  of  nine  cities  on  the 
Mississippi  and  Ohio  rivers  amounted  to  §747,000,000.  The 
annual  commerce  of  the  Mississippi  valley  is  now  estimated  at 
§2,000,000,000.  The  yearly  traffic  of  the  vpper  Mississippi, 
which  would  be  ihrecthj  affected  by  tho  obstructions  in  the  river, 


30  CHANGE    OP   NATIONAL   EMPIRE. 

is  S150,000;000.  The  amount  of  commerce  which  is  annually 
deflected  from  the  Mississippi  by  the  difficulties  of  navigation  is 
computed  at  §100,000,000.  The  yearly  damage  which  the  rapids 
inflict  upon  navigation  is  appraised  at  $10,000,000.  In  1865  the 
direct  loss  occasioned  by  the  impediments  at  Keokuk  amounted 
to  more  than  $500,000.  The  eight  miles  of  obstructed  naviga- 
tion sometimes  delay  a  steamer  five  daj-s.  This  detention  is  a 
gource  of  great  expense.  A  steamer  with  a  carrying  capacity 
of  18,000  bushels  of  sacked  grain  would  require  a  force  of  sixty 
hands.  The  daily  cost  of  so  large  a  crew  is  heavy.  A  delay  of 
three  or  four  days  entails  a  great  expense.  After  the  improve- 
ment of  the  rapids,  a  tow-boat  with  the  same  motive  power  and 
a  crew  of  twenty  hands  would  transport  225,000  bushels  of 
grain.  The  Ajax  once  towed  fi^om  Louisville  to  New  Orleans 
460,000  bushels  of  coal.  For  more  than  half  of  the  boating- 
season  navigation  is  embarrassed  by  low  water  on  the  rapids. 
During  the  period  of  shallow  water  no  boat  can  carry  freight 
enough  for  a  profitable  trip  without  lighting  over  the  rapids. 
But  the  employment  of  barges  involves  a  serious  expense.  In 
the  absence  of  elevators  it  has  necessitated  the  use  of  sacks. 
Wheat  sacks  now  cost  from  seventy  to  eighty  cents  apiece;  or, 
if  hired,  two  and  a  half  cents  per  bushel  for  each  shipment. 
The  expense  of  the  four  transfers  at  the  Eock  Island  and  Keokuk 
rapids  is  twelve  cents  a  bushel,  and  the  loss  from  waste  is  seven 
cents  more.  During  the  season  of  1866  the  Northern  Line 
Packet  Company  paid  §21,100  for  lighting  over  the  rapids.  The 
packages  received  by  this  company  numbered,  in 

1865 1,243,000 

1866 <J79,000 

This  decrease  of  264,000  packages  was  entirely  due  to  low 
water.  The  company  estimate  their  receipts  for  1866,  in  case 
there  had  been  uninterrupted  navigation,  at  2,500,000  packages. 

The  present  method  of  handling  grain  is  very  expensive. 
The  waste  of  grain  by  carriage  in  sacks,  the  extra  labor,  the 
transfer  to  the  shore,  the  damage,  the  cost  of  tarpaulins,  and  the 
injury  to  the  sacks,  amount  to  16  cents  per  bushel.  The  dangers 
of  navigation  increase  the  rates  of  insurance.  The  perils  of  the 
rapids  add  one-half  of  one  per  cent,  to  the  price  of  ever}"  bushel 
of  grain  which  is  shipped  to  market  from  the  Upper  Mississippi. 
This  assessment  upon  the  industry  of  farmers  is  oppressive  and 
unnecessary.  Under  all  the  existing  difiiculties  the  freight  of 
cereals  from  the  Upper  Mississippi  to  New  York  is  far  cheaper 
by  way  of  New  Orleans  than  it  is  by  the  lakes  and  the  New 
York  canal.  The  comparative  rates  of  transportation  from 
Dubuque  to  New  York  are  : 


CHANGE    OF    NATIONAL   EMPIRE.  ol 

Via  the  lakes .'68  cents  per  bushel. 

"    New  Orleans 138      "      "       " 

Difference  in  favor  of  Southern  route...  30      *'       "       " 

The  present  cost  of  shipping  grain  from  Chicago  to  Cairo  by 
rail,  and  thence  to  Xcw  York  by  water,  is  no  greater  than  the 
freight  to  the  same  point  by  way  of  the  lakes.  The  existing 
winter  tariff  on  wheat  iu  bulk  from  Chicago  to  New  York  is : 

By  the  lakes 44  cents  per  bushel. 

From  Chicago  to  Cairo,  by  7-aiZ... 20      "       ''        " 

"     Cairo  to  New  Orleans,  by  water 12      "       "        " 

' '    New  Orleans  to  New  York,  by  water..  12     "      "        " 

So  great  is  the  cheapness  of  river  carriage  that  the  rates  of 
the  Southern  route,  increased  by  300  miles  of  costly  railroad 
transit,  do  not  exceed  those  of  the  Northern  line. 

There  is  an  actual  saving  of  30  cents  a  bushel  by  the  New 
Orleans  route;  yet  at  present,  so  great  are  the  delays,  risks,  and 
infacilitics  of  river  transportation,  the  Northern  lines  of  transit 
are  still  preferred.* 

It  is  thought  that,  after  the  improvement  of  the  rapids,  the 
introduction  of  barges  for  the  transportation  and  the  erection  of 
elevators  for  the  transfer  of  grain  m  bulk,  the  freight  of  cereals 
from  the  Upper  Mississippi  to  New  York  will  be  reduced  to  25 
cents  per  bushel.  After  the  completion  of  these  public  works, 
the  successful  competition  of  the  Mississippi  would  compel  the 
railroads  to  reduce  their  rates  of  carriage.  Even  if  there  was 
no  change  in  the  channels  of  transportation,  this  reduction  of 
freights  would  itself  justify  the  removal  of  obstructions  in  the 
Mississippi.  But  there  wnll  be  a  change  in  the  routes  of  freight- 
age. Uninterrupted  water  carriage  always  affords  the  cheapest 
transportation.  This  fact  is  forcibly  illustrated  by  the  present 
movement  of  cereals.  More  than  75  per  cent,  of  the  grain 
received  at  Chicago  is  carried  there  by  rail,  but  from  that  point 
only  10  per  cent,  is  sent  eastward  by  rail;  90  per  cent,  is  shipped 
by  the  lakes. 

It  is  sometimes  alleged  that  the  heat  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  is 
too  great  for  the  safe  transport  of  grain  by  the  Southern  route. 
Corn  is  much  more  liable  to  be  damaged  by  atmospheric  influ- 
ences than  wheat,  and  the  flour  made  from  spring  wheat  is  far 
more  susceptible  of  injury  from  humidity  than  the  grain  from 
which  it  is  manufactured.  Yet  the  present  trade  of  New  Orleans 
in  corn  and  spring-wheat  flour  is  immense.  Besides,  the  move- 
ment of  AVestern  cereals  is  made  in  the  cooler  months.     Almost 

»  Since  the  original  publication  of  this  article,  a  reduction  of  the  freights  on  North- 
ern lines  has  diminishetl  tlie  relative  cost  of  Eastward  trausi)ortatioii,  but  there  is  still 
a  difference  of  not  less  than  S  or  10  cents  a  bushel  iu  favor  of  shiinuents  to  the  Atlantic 
eeaboard  by  the  Southern  route. 


32  CHANGE    OF    NATIONAL    EMPIRE. 

all  our  shipments  of  grain  are  made  from  September  to  June ; 
so  that,  even  if  the  midsummer  heat  of  the  Gulf  was  an  objection 
to  the  Southern  route,  the  difficulty  would  be  obviated  by  the 
season  of  transportation. 

The  fact,  too,  that  large  quantities  of  Western  flour  are  now 
exported  without  injury  to  the  trans-equatorial  countries  of 
South  America  must  not  be  ignored.  Wheat  is  carried  unharmed 
from  San  Francisco  around  Cape  Horn  to  New  York.  The  vast 
amounts  of  grain  which  are  brought  to  Europe  from  the  Dan- 
ubian  provinces,  through  the  high  temperature  of  the  Mediter- 
ranean, reach  their  destination  in  a  sound  condition.  The 
assertion,  then,  that  cereals  would  be  seriously  injured  by 
warmth  and  moisture  in  their  passage  through  the  Gulf  is  an 
allegation  unwarranted  by  facts.  A  fear  so  foreign  to  commer- 
cial experience  may  be  dismissed  as  a  baseless  apprehension. 

But  the  Mississippi  river,  though  entitled  by  a  divine  patent  to 
the  transportation  of  this  valley,  is  now  defrauded  of  its  rights. 
An  unlineal  heir  enjoys  the  inheritance.  The  value  of  the  traffic 
deflected  from  the  Mississippi  into  unnatural  channels  reaches 
an  annual  aggregate  of  tens  of  millions.  In  1865,  out  of  the 
48,000,000  bushels  of  grain  shipped  to  Chicago,  15,000,000  were 
brought  from  points  on  the  Mississippi.  According  to  Mr.  Dodge, 
three-fifths  of  all  the  wheat  received  in  1865  at  Milwaukee  and 
Chicago  came  from  the  towns  on  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi. 

The  shipments  were  : 

Flour,  bbls.  Wheat,  bush. 

East  by  rail 273,252  12,551,014 

South  "by  river 37,372  1,468,231 

The  following  figures,  furnished  by  Mr.  Gilman  of  Dubuque, 
express  the  actual  cost  of  shipments  from  Chicago  to  New  York : 

Date.                              Vessels.                         Bushels.  Freights.  Sundries. 

Oct.    1,  1865.  P.  P.  Cunningham 12,761  $4,608  01  $232  62 

"       7,     "  E.  P.  Dorr 11,679  5,527  25  552  85 

"     21,     "  Sailor  Boy 18,700  7,946  87  445  02 

"     31,     "  Collingwood 16,313  6,634  56  495  95 

Nov.  S,     "  Dolphin 14,000  4,545  90  245  65 

"       8,      "  VV.  F.  Allen 18,374  4,023  89  366  90 

87,827      $33,286  18    $2,438  00 

There  was  also  an  additional  charge  of  $2,195  67  at  the 
Chicago  elevators.  Hence  the  total  expense  of  these  ship- 
ments was  S37,920  84,  or  more  than  43  cents  a  bushel.  This 
exhibit  does  not  include  commissions,  storage,  interest,  insur- 
ance, government  tax,  or  losses;  but  it  does  embrace  wharfage, 
towing,  measuring,  sampling,  and  the  cost  of  transfer  at  the 
Buff'alo  elevators. 


CHANGE    OF    NATIONAL    EMPIRE.  S3 

These  figures  prove  the  supreme  necessity  of  the  projected 
improvements.  The  lakes  are  closed  four  months  out  of  the 
twelve,  but  the  Mississippi  is  open  as  high  as  Dubuque  nine 
months  in  the  year.  Yet,  notwithstanding  this  longer  period  of 
navigation  and  the  continuous  water  carriage  to  Eastern  mar- 
kets, obstructions  have  almost  wholly  diverted  the  carrying  trade 
of  the  Mississippi  from  its  legitimate  channel,  and  forced  it  into 
unnatural  courses  of  transit.  The  unnecessar}'  expense  to  which 
these  impediments  to  navigation  subject  Western  farmers  is  an 
oppressive  tax  upon  agricultural  industry.  Agriculture  is  the 
basis  of  our  public  welfare.  Upon  it  alone  can  rest  an  enduring 
superstructure  of  national  prosperity.  During  the  financial  crisis 
of  the  last  struggle,  its  unfailing  resources  alone  upheld  the  credit 
of  the  public  Treasury.  Agriculture  deserves  the  patronage  of 
the  Government.  Itsinterests  should  bo  promoted  by  every  aid 
of  judicious  legislation.  But  now,  from  the  obstructions  of  navi- 
gation and  the  consequent  want  of  competitive  river  transit,  the 
railroad  freight  from  the  Mississippi  to  Lake  Michigan  costs 
more  than  one-fifteenth  of  the  value  of  the  grain.  At  the  present 
price  of  wheat,  this  tariff,  on  the  annual  shipment  of  50,000,000 
bushels,  would  amount  to  36,000,000.  This  yearly  exaction  is 
larger  than  the  appropriation  w^hich  Congress  is  asked  to  grant 
for  the  improvement  of  both  rapids.  The  West  now  petitions 
Congress  to  grant  relief  from  this  hardship.  An  appeal  sustained 
by  such  clear  and  imperative  considerations  of  justice  cannot  be 
disregarded.  A  reduction  of  the  cost  of  carriage  is  an  object  of 
national  moment.  It  justly  challenges  the  attention  of  states- 
men ;  it  aftects  the  prosperity  of  the  nation  -,  it  promotes  alike 
the  interests  of  the  producer  and  the  consumer;  it  enables  the 
Western  husbandman  to  make  larger  profits  and  buy  more  East- 
ern merchandise ;  it  empowers  the  Atlantic  manufacturer  to  live 
cheaper  and  sell  more  of  his  fabrics.     The  benefit  is  national. 

At  present  almost  the  entire  Eastern  movement  of  cereals  is 
caiTied  on  by  way  of  the  lakes.  These  jSTorthern  waters  hold  ad- 
verse possession  of  the  carrying  trade.  The  lake  transportation 
companies  have  perfected  all  the  machineiy  of  freightage.  They 
enjoy  the  advantages  of  long  establishment,  compact  organiza- 
tion, and  full  equipment.  But,  though  the  cost  of  shipment  by 
the  Mississippi  is  far  less  than  by  the  lakes,  adequate  facilities 
for  the  transportation  of  our  cereals  do  not  exist  on  this  river. 
There  is  no  systematic  combination,  no  means  of  conveyance 
commensui-ato  with  the  wants  of  this  Valle}^. 

But  after  the  construction  of  the  canals  around  the  rapids, 
floating  elevators  and  tow-boats  will  soon  present  ample  facilities 
for  cheap  transfer  and  water  carriage.  Then  the  active  compe- 
tition of  rival  lines  of  barges  and  propellers  will  reduce  still 
further   the   cost   of  Eastward  shipments.      This   reduction  in 


34  CHANGE  OF  NATIONAL  EMPIRE. 

the  rates  of  freights  Tvould  be  a  national  economy.  It  would 
lessen  throughout  the  United  States  the  expense  of  living.  The 
quantity  of  Western  cereals  consumed  in  the  Eastern  States  is 
immense.  New  England  raises  only  one-fourteenth  of  the  wheat 
which  it  consumes.  ISTot  even  Pennsylvania  and  New  York  pro- 
duce grain  enough  for  their  own  consumption.  All  the  Eastern 
and  Southern  States  are  largely  dependent  for  their  supply  of 
flour  upon  the  cereal  products  of  the  Mississippi  Yalley.  In  1865 
the  receipts  at  the  following  points  were  : 

Flour,  bbls.  Grain,  bush. 

Montreal 797,657  4,116,165 

Portland 547.953  2,431,733 

Boston 2,193,840  3,511.750 

New  York 3,687,775  37,339,903 

Philadelphia 724,498  4,835,785 

Baltimore 996.276  6,149,660 

Tide-water  by  canal 1,014,000  45,830,100 

After  the  deduction  of  our  foreign  exports  of  grain,  the  amount 
left  for  Eastern  consumption  is  enormous.  Diminish  the  cost 
of  carriage,  and  you  increase  the  profits  and  lighten  the  toil  of 
every  workingman  in  the  land.  Every  mechanic,  artisan,  and 
operative  in  the  Atlantic  States  would  feel,  in  the  amelioration 
of  his  condition,  the  beneficent  eflPect  of  the  contemplated  im- 
provements. The  consummation  of  this  work  would  enlarge 
the  sales  of  every  manufacturer  in  New  England.  The  prime 
necessities  of  our  national  life  are  far  more  vitally  affected  by 
the  unobstructed  navigation  of  the  Mississippi  than  b}'  the 
security  of  our  Atlantic  harbors.  Yet  the  Government  has 
expended  millions  upon  the  improvement  of  the  seaboard. 
Numerous  and  liberal  appropriations  have  been  made  by  Con- 
gress to  insure  the  navigation  of  the  lakes.  Assuredly  the 
Government  cannot  den}-  to  our  appeal  the  favor  which  it  has 
granted  to  claims  of  no  higher  obligation.  One  year's  interest 
on  the  value  of  the  commerce  which  these  obstructions  divert 
from  the  Mississippi  would  pay  for  their  removal.  The  annual 
tax  which  the  rapids  levy  on  Western  products  equals  the  esti- 
mated cost  of  the  proposed  canals.  This  valley  is  entitled  to 
the  cheapest  transportation  which  unobstructed  water  carriage 
can  afford.  All  additional  cost  of  transit  is  an  unjust  discrimi- 
nation against  agricultural  industry.  The  difference  in  the  price 
of  grain  between  New  York  and  the  Mississippi  Valley  is  a  dead 
loss  to  the  Western  farmer.  The  heavy  rates  of  freight  levied 
on  both  eastward  and  westward  exchanges  oppress  the  producer 
with  a  double  hardship.  The  cost  of  carriage  is  deducted  from 
the  value  of  Western  grain,  and  added  to  the  price  of  Eastern 
merchandise.  This  two-fold  grievance,  of  which  the  West  so 
justly  complains,  ought  at  once  to  be  redressed.   Congress  should 


CHANGE    OF   NATIONAL   EMPIRE.  35 

confer  the  earliest  and  the  fullest  relief  which  the  nature  of  the 
case  permits.  An  adherence  to  its  settled  policy,  fidelity  to  its 
responsible  trusts,  and  its  high  obligation  to  recognize  popular 
rights  and  foster  national  interests,  urge  the  Government  to 
grant  the  solicited  appropriation. 

Thus  far,  our  attention  has  been  mainly  occupied  with  the 
consideration  of  a  single  interest.  But  the  completion  of  this 
public  work  would  not  only  affect  the  cereals,  but  every  other 
product  of  the  West.  While  it  would  encourage  agriculture 
with  larger  rewards,  it  would  stimulate  all  industries  by  foster- 
ing the  source  of  their  common  prosperity.  It  would  invest  the 
Mississippi  with  its  rightful  control  of  the  heavy  exports  and 
imports  of  this  valley.  It  would  develop  commercial  activity, 
and  greatly  promote  the  interchange  of  productions  between 
different  latitudes.  It  would  hasten  the  return  of  the  South  to 
its  true  allegiance,  and  bind  it  to  the  Union  with  the  strong  ties 
of  sectional  interest.  It  would  augment  our  foreign  commerce. 
It  would  fiivor  the  direct  exchange  of  heavy  commodities.  In 
1862,  more  than  80,000,000  bushels  of  grain,  including  flour, 
were  exported  from  the  United  States.  Though  the  effect  of 
civil  war  upon  our  foreign  commerce  was  disastrous,  yet  the 
value  of  breadstuffs  exported  from  this  country  during  the  five 
years  ending  with  1865  was  more  than  §360,000,000.  If  the 
United  States  possessed  that  control  of  European  markets  which 
the  improvement  of  the  Mississippi  and  the  consequent  cheap- 
ness of  exportation  would  secure,  our  shipments  of  breadstufia 
would  expand  into  far  grander  proportions.  The  profits  which 
the  Atlantic  cities  would  derive  from  this  enlargement  of  our 
foreign  commerce  is  an  additional  reason  why  the  East  should 
strenuously  co-operate  with  the  West  to  secure  the  consumma- 
tion of  this  great  work. 

But  the  West  has  a  higher  title  to  the  favor  of  the  Government 
than  the  consideration  of  mere  material  interests.  Faithful  to  its 
patrioitc  instincts,  the  West  fought  for  the  Union  throughout  the 
late  contest  with  a  stubbornness  of  valor  that  was  at  once  a 
defiance  of  defeat  and  a  guarantee  of  victory.  Without  dispar- 
agement to  the  noble  gallantry  of  Eastern  soldiers,  it  was  chiefly 
due  to  the  heroic  efforts  of  our  Western  armies  that  the  Missis- 
sippi now  flows  free  to  the  Gulf.  Their  dauntless  courage  pre- 
vented the  rupture  of  our  national  integrit}^,  and  rescued  the 
mouth  of  the  Mississippi  from  the  control  of  a  foreign  power. 
Their  fidelity  has  saved  the  Mississippi  from  the  vexations  of 
hostile  imposts,  and  permitted  its  waters  to  flow  untaxed  to  the 
ocean.  To  their  services  is  to  be  ascribed  the  restoration  of  that 
unity  and  brotherhood  for  which  the  plastic  hand  of  nature 
channeled  this  majestic  stream.  Assuredly  the  nation  cannot 
forget  its  defenders.     A  government  justly  sensible  of  its  obliga- 


36  CHANGE    OF    NATIONAL   EMPIRE. 

tioBS  will  show  a  practical   gratitude  for  the  preservation   of 
its  life. 

The  laws  of  trade  ultimately  enforce  obedience.  The  imperial 
Mississippi,  which  traverses  the  central  valley  of  this  continent, 
and,  independent  of  its  tributaries,  washes  the  borders  of  ten 
States,  will  yet  assert  its  commercial  sovereignty.  The  God  of 
nature  has  invested  this  majestic  stream  with  rights  of  convey- 
ance which  no  railroad  powers  of  attorney  can  transfer.  The 
title  of  the  Mississippi  river  to  the  commerce  of  this  valley  is 
attested  with  the  Divine  signature.  The  productions  of  the 
West  will  be  borne  to  the  tide-water  through  channels  which 
the  Architect  of  nature  formed.  Our  Western  rivers  will  soon 
transport  a  greater  wealth  of  traflSc  than  ever  before  floated  on 
inland  waters.  The  usefulness  of  the  projected  improvement 
will  increase  with  the  growth  of  the  Mississippi  Yalley. 

The  following  table  shows  the  population  and  grain  crop  of 
the  eight  Northwestern  States  during  the  last  three  decades : 

Years,  Population.  Bushels. 

1840 3,340,500  165,698,800 

1850  5,403,600  310,950,300 

1860 8,855,900  556,801,900 


The  Agricultural  Bureau,  basing  its  calculations  on  past 
results,  makes  the  following  approximate  estimate  of  the  cereal 
product  of  the  Northwest  for  the  next  four  decades : 

Years.  Bushels. 

1870 762,200,000 

1880 1,219,520,000 

1890 1,951,232,000 

1900 3,121,970,000 

These  numbers  indicate  a  vastness  of  agricultural  production 
and  commercial  exchange  which  the  mind  fails  to  grasp.  Our 
conceptions  of  the  future  greatness  of  the  West  are  rather 
embarrassed  than  aided  by  these  figures.  In  the  coming  time, 
tens  of  millions  will  throng  this  valley  under  the  benign  sway 
of  one  government.  All  the  prosperities  of  a  free  people  and  a 
Christian  civilization  will  gladden  this  land.  Our  waste  terri- 
tories will  become  populous  States.  The  resources  of  the  soil 
and  mine  will  be  developed.  Our  wealth  of  agricultural  and 
mineral  productions  will  enrich  the  world.  In  that  day  the 
Mississippi  will  bear  upon  its  bosom  a  commerce  richer  than 
the  golden  freights  of  classic  story,  and  vaster  than  the  mari- 
time trade  of  any  people  on  the  globe.  Our  Government  ought 
at  once  to  prepare  the  Mississippi  for  its  glorious  destiny. 


CHANGE    OF    NATIONAL    EMPrilK. 


37 


EAILWAYS. 

Passing  from  oui-  commei'ce  upon  the  ocean,  the  hikos;  and  the 
rivers,  let  us  turn  to  a  consideration  of  our  vast  system  of  railway 
— the  wonderful  creation  of  American  genius,  industry  and  wealth. 
Table  showing  ihc  Ajmual  Progress  of  Railways  for  the  last  Forty   Years. 


year.  Miles. 

1828 3 

18-«.) 28 

is:50 41 

1831 ")1 

1832 1:51 

1833 57G 

1834 TG2 

1835 !»1S 

1836 1,1'>2 

1837 1,421 

1838 1,843 

1839 1,'.>20 

1840 3,197 

1841 3,319 


Table  showing  the  Railways  of  the  United  States  by  States. 


United  States. 


Miles. 


Cost. 


Cost 

per 

Mile. 


Area  of 
Country. 


Maine 

New  Hampshire 

Vermont 

Massachusetts 

Rhode  Island 

Connecticut 

New  York 

New  Jersey 

Pennsylvania 

Delaware 

Maryland  and  D.  C. 

West  Virginia 

Kentucky 

Ohio 

Michigan 

Indiana 

Illinois 

Wisconsin 

Minnesota 

Iowa 

Missouri 

Kansas  

Nebraska  

California 

Oregon 

Virginia 

North  Carolina 

South  Carolina 

Georgia 

Florida 

Alabama 

Misssissippi 

Tennessee 

Arkansas 

Louisiana 

Texas 

Territorie  s 


Total 36,896.26 


502.. 37 
659. :«{ 
594.59 

,330  96 
119.24 
637.54 

,025.. 30 
J»04.-ll 

,0.37.15 
l.-)7.40 
522.60 
364.75 
625.  iK) 

,402.98 
966.12 

,211.80 

,2.'i0.05 

,045.41 
392.00 

,1.54.10 
937.75 
240.. 50 
275.00 
321.50 
19.. 50 

,416.70 
977.30 
988.93 

,4.37.22 
407.50 
891.16 
867.12 

,317.78 
191.00 
3,35.75 
479.50 


18,242,2.35 
22,0.52,063 
24,892,234 
79,466,774 
4,a58,799 
24.370,018 

152,. 570, 769 
55,994,403 

210,080,309 

5,606,864 

30,. 573, 275 

24,978,843 

22,392,122 

1.15,231,975 
41,675,724 
79,186,767 

1,39,084,414 

40,081,360 

12,4,50,000 

45,480,000 

51,3.57,07 

9,7.50,000 

12,, 500, 000 

24,2(K),0()(» 

,5(10,000 

49,974,4.57 

20,020,310 

25,207,977 

29,177,663 

8,8ti8,000 

21,010,982 

25, 41 6,. 394 

34,185,210 

4,400,000 

13,627,^54 

17,280,000 


$30  31,' 
33,446 
41,864 
59,704 
40,737 
38,22.- 
50,431 
61,91o 
52,03: 
37,27!i 
58,501 
68,498 
35,776 
39,739 
43,133 
35,802 
42,791 
38,343 
31,760 
39,40" 
54,995 
40,. 540 
45,4.51 

2r)|r;4l 

35,275 
20,4,85 
25,491 
20,. 301 
21,762 
25,154 
29,315 
25,937 
43,. 562 
40, .577 
36,044 


iSq 


,  Mile. 

31,766 

9,280 

10,212 

7,800 

1,306 

4,674 

47,000 

8,320 

46,000 

2,120 

11,184 

20,. 541 

37,680 

39,964 

56,243 

33,809 

.55,405 

53,924 

83,, 531 

,55,045 

67,380 

78,418 

76,928 

lss,982 

95,274 

(;l,.3.5'.; 

.50,704 

29,. 38; 

.52,0(19 

.59,269 

.50,722 

47,1,56 

45,600 

52, 198 

46,431 

2,37,, 504 

243,416 


Popnlat'n' 
I860. 


6  = 

m  5* 


$1,517,510,765  $41,129   3,001,002]  31,747,514 


38  CHANGE   OF   NATIONAL   EMPIRE. 

By  the  preceding  tables  it  will  be  seen  we  have  in  the  United 
States  36,896  miles  of  railway,  built  at  an  expense  of  $1,517,510,- 
765.  All  this  has  been  done  since  the  adoption  of  the  Federal 
Constitution  and  since  the  location  of  the  seat  of  government 
at  its  present  place.  But  this  is  not  all ;  their  construction  over 
the  country,  and  especially  Westward,  is  being  pushed  forward 
at  the  rate  of  15  miles  per  day,  and  next  year  the  two  great 
oceans  bounding  the  RepubUc  will  be  united  by  the  completion 
of  a  great  railway  across  the  continent ;  and  with  our  frontier 
line  advancing  15  miles  every  year,  the  civil  conquest  of  the 
continent  will  soon  be  complete.  But,  in  justice  to  the  cause  of 
the  subject  of  this  pamphlet,  let  it  be  said  in  truth  that  these 
mighty  works  are  being  done  in  the  Mississippi  Yalley  and  west- 
ward of  the  Father  of  Waters. 

Since  the  invention  of  the  steam-engine,  the  railway  system 
may  be  regarded  as  the  greatest  aid  to  civilization  the  arts  have 
afforded,  on  account  of  the  rapid  intercommunion  of  men  and 
ideas,  and  the  exchange  of  products.  Every  additional  investi- 
gation by  the  political  economist  and  the  socialist  proves  the 
influence  of  the  railway  upon  the  industry  and  intelligence  of 
man  to  be  the  most  potential  of  all  his  works.  And  it  does 
really  appear  that  the  use  of  the  railroads  is  destined  to  make  all 
the  agricultural  interests  of  men  subserve  their  highest  uses,  by 
enabling  the  producer  to  get  the  highest  possible  price  for  his 
produce,  and  the  consumer  at  the  least  cost.  The  influence  of 
railroads  upon  agriculture  has  been  ably  discussed  by  Mr.  Joseph 
C.  G.  Kennedy,  Superintendent  of  the  United  States  Census  for 
1860,  in  the  Agricultural  Department  of  the  Eighth  Census. 
Speaking  of  their  great  value,  Mr.  Kennedy  says  : 

"So  great  are  their  benefits,  that  if  the  entire  cost  of  railroads 
between  the  Atlantic  and  Western  States  had  been  levied  on  the 
farmers  of  the  central  West,  they  could  have  paid  it  and  been 
immensely  the  gainers.  This  proposition  will  become  evident  if 
we  look  at  the  modes  in  which  railroads  have  been  beneficial, 
especially  in  the  grain-growing  States.  These  modes  are — first, 
in  doing  what  could  not  have  been  effected  without  them; 
second,  in  securing  to  the  producer  very  nearly  the  prices  of  the 
Atlantic  markets,  which  are  greatly  in  advance  of  what  could 
have  been  got  on  his  farm;  and  third,  by  thus  enabling  the  pro- 
ducer to  dispose  of  his  products  at  the  best  prices  at  all  times. 


CHANGE    OF    NATIONAL   EMPIRE.  39 

and  to  increase  rapidly  both  the  settlement  and  the  annual  pro- 
duction of  the  interior  States." 

Mr.  Kennedy  gives  the  following  table,  showing  the  cash  value 
of  farms  in  five  States,  with  their  increase  in  ten  years : 

1850.  1860. 

Ohio $358,758,002  $G66,5G4,171 

Illinois 96,133,290  432,531,072 

Indiana 130,385,173  344,902,776 

Michigan 51,872,440  163,279,087 

Wisconsin 28,528,503  131,117,082 

Aggregate $071,678,075         $1,738,394,188 

Increase  in  ten  years $1,066,716,113 

Mr.  Kennedy  says  it  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  one-half  of 
this  increase  has  been  caused  by  railroads. 

But  the  beneficial  influence  of  the  railroads  cannot  be  con- 
fined to  agriculture  alone.  Their  influence  is  immeasurable  upon 
the  development  of  every  commercial  and  industrial  movement 
of  our  people,  and  consequently  aids  vastly  the  increase  of 
population ;  and  with  the  unequaled  advantages  for  their  con- 
struction and  their  use  in  the  Mississippi  Yalley,  they  must  be 
accounted  a  great  auxiliary  to  the  internal  development  of  mate- 
rial power  on  the  continent,  and  consequently  of  establishing 
the  supremacy  of  the  States  of  the  Mississippi  Valley  over  those 
of  both  oceans,  thus  giving  to  them  that  supremacy  in  civiliza- 
tion which  is  theirs  by  nature. 

No  new  field  of  art  or  industry  now  engages  so  much  capital, 
and  is  pushed  forward  with  so  much  enterprise,  as  that  of  the 
railroad  interest  of  the  country.  "Where  they  ai-e  not,  stagna- 
tion in  business  and  conservatism  in  public  spirit  prevail;  where 
they  are,  commerce  and  industry  are  vitalized. 

To  show  the  preponderance  of  material  power  and  wealth  in 
the  Mississippi  Yalley,  the  following  table  is  submitted.  It 
exhibits  the  growth  of  our  people,  their  genius,  their  wealth, 
and  their  wonderful  industry. 


40 


CHANGE    OF    NATIONAL   EMPIRE. 


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CHANGE    OF    NATIONAL   EMPIRE. 


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3 


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42  CHANGE    OF    NATIONAL   EMPIRE. 

In  presentiug  it,  we  claim  for  it  a  superiority  over  any  tabular 
statement  of  the  material  growth  of  the  countrj^  that  has  ever 
appeared  in  public  print.  It  contains  upon  its  condensed  surface 
the  growth  of  centuries,  and  materials  for  volumes.  At  one 
glance  the  eye  can  scan  the  extent  of  territory,  the  population, 
the  wealth,  the  industry,  the  live  stock,  the  grains,  the  railroads, 
the  pi'Ogress,  and  the  great  working,  moving  embodiment  of  the 
country.  Here,  in  one  view,  we  can  behold  the  growth  of  the 
most  promising  nation  the  world  ever  saw.  Such  is  the  pro- 
gress exhibited  that  the  growth  of  each  ten  ^'earsis  equal  to  the 
growth  of  a  nation.  There  is  no  parallel  in  history  or  experi- 
ence for  what  we  are,  and  none  will  ever  surpass  what  we  will 
be.  Let  us  but  labor  to  be  as  good  as  we  will  be  great,  and  the 
solution  of  the  problem  of  man's  utility  upon  the  earth  will  be 
solved  before  the  close  of  another  century. 

B}'  reference  to  the  tabular  statement,  showing  the  material 
growth  of  the  whole  country  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific, 
it  will  be  seen  that  in  1850  the  States  of  the  Atlantic  slope  were 
in  advance  of  the  Yalley  States  in  almost  every  practical  and 
available  interest  belonging  to  the  agricultural  pursuits.  Corn 
and  wheat  were  the  two  principal  products  in  which  the  Yalley 
States  excelled  at  that  time.  The  Atlantic  States  had  more 
land  under  cultivation,  and  a  gi'eater  number  of  improved  farms, 
the  cash  value  of  which  was  far  greater  than  that  of  the  Valley 
States;  but  the  progress  of  ten  j^ears  shows  a  wonderful  change. 
When  we  compare  the  growth  of  1850  with  that  of  1860,  the 
advance  is  like  the  growth  of  a  continent. 

In  1850  the  aggregate  of  improved  lands  in  the  Atlantic-' 
States  was  63,965,491  acres,  at  a  cash  value  of  ^^1,991,599,378. 
In  the  Valley  States  the  aggregate  improved  lands  was  48,885,479 
acres,  at  a  cash  value  of  $1,232,941,038.  In  1860  the  aggregate 
of  improved  lands  in  the  Atlantic  States  was  73,882,853  acres, 
at  a  cash  value  of  63,132,561,500.  In  the  Valley  States  the 
aggregate  of  improved  lands  was  87,034,199  acres,  at  a  cash 
value  of  $3,446,702,533,  showing,  in  the  space  of  ten  years,  an 
advance  of  the  Valley  States  over  the  Atlantic  States  of 
13,151,346  acres  of  improved  land,  and  a  preponderance  of  cash 
value  to  the  amount  of  $314,141,053. 


CHANGE    OF    NATIONAL   EMPIRE.  43 

In  addition  to  this  wonderful  growth  of  the  West,  the  States 
and  Territories  of  the  Pacific  slope  have  advanced  from  181,644 
acres  of  improved  land  in  1850,  at  a  cash  value  of  $6,033,010,  to 
3,537,668  acres  of  improved  land  in  1860,  at  a  cash  value  of 
§67,780,934.  These  figures  are  most  gratifying  in  their  show- 
ing. The  whole  growth  of  the  West,  in  agricultural  pursuits,  is 
unpai-alleled  in  the  histoiy  of  the  human  race,  and  yet  the 
Kepublie  is  in  its  infancy.  Massachusetts  has  but  little  more 
than  one-half  her  acres  under  cultivation,  while  Illinois  has  far 
less  than  one-half  her  lands  in  farms.  The  improvements  of 
the  other  States,  in  all  the  kindred  elements  of  agriculture,  are 
about  in  the  same  ratio.  But  what  are  these  half  developments 
when  compared  with  the  full  growth  of  the  country  ?  The  ter- 
ritory of  the  Yalley  States  is  more  than  three  times  as  large  as 
that  of  the  Atlantic  States,  and,  withfits  incomparable  advantages 
for  agriculture,  must  lead  the  way^  in  the  pursuit  of  husbandry. 

Wo  must  comprehend  that  with  the  growth  of  the  Eepublic 
must  be  the  intellectual  and  moral  groAvth  of  the  people.  As 
the  nation  expands,  so  must  the  legislative  and  moral  mind  ex- 
pand to  comprehend  its  demands  and  necessities.  The  legislator 
must  comprehend  that  the  laws  are  yet  to  be  of  broader  signifi- 
cance, and  the  moralist  and  the  educationalist  must  also  learn 
that  precept  and  discipline  must  extend  beyond  to  broader 
fields  of  use  than  heretofore  ;  and  may  we  not  hope  that,  at  no 
distant  day,  some  genius  may  arise  Avho  will  add  to  the  material 
statistics  of  the  country  the  statistical  growth  of  the  morals  and 
intellectual  advancement  of  our  people,  and  thus  furnish  the 
measure  of  our  most  valued  growth  ? 


DEMAND  FOR  A  CHANGE  OF  SEAT  OF  GOVERNMENT 


— AMD   ITS— 


LOCATION  AT  ST.  LOUIS 


Enlightened  public  sentiment  eveiywhere  demands  the  appro- 
priate use  of  all  public  interests.  There  can  be  but  two  essential 
considerations  enter  into  the  subject  of  locating  the  seat  of  gov- 
ernment in  any  nation.  One  is  the  propriety  of  locating  it 
where  it  can  bo  easily  defended  in  time  of  war;  the  other  of 
locating  where  it  will  best  subserve  the  public  and  special  in- 
terests of  the  people  of  the  government.  The  history  of  nations 
furnishes  no  considerations  greater  than  these.  It  is  probably 
true  that  the  greater  number  of  national  capitals  of  antiquity 
became  fixed  by  reason  of  the  prestige  of  civil  and  commercial 
power  being  invested  in  certain  places  at  the  time  of  revolution 
or  governmental  changes.  Some  nations  have  considered  the 
subject  of  locating  their  scats  of  government  in  a  secure  part 
of  the  country,  but  most  capitals  have  been  located  where 
they  would  best  accommodate  the  commercial  interests  of  the 
people  and  the  business  interests  of  the  industrial  masses.  In 
proof  of  this  statement  we  have  but  to  trace  the  map  of  the 
history  of  mankind,  and  almost  ever^^where  we  see  governments 
yielding  to  the  sway  of  commerce;  whether  upon  the  sea-coast 
or  upon  inland  waters.  While  it  is  true  that  the  argument  in 
favor  of  locating  so  as  to  protect  them  from  invasion  is  one  of 
barbarian  origin,  it  is  still  of  some  consideration  to  mankind, 
and  cannot  be  heedlessly  overlooked  by  this  people.  This  con- 
sideration, as  I  have  already  stated,  had  some  weight  with  the 
first  Congress  when  the  subject  of  a  permanent  seat  of  govern- 
ment was  discussed.     But  the  one  which  was  of  grc  a' er  concern 


CHANGE    OF   NATIONAL   EMPIRE.  45 

to  them  was  the  one  which  this  people  cannot  overlook  at  the 
present  time,  and  that  was  the  argument  in  favor  of  locating  the 
seat  of  government  centrallV;  eo  as  to  accommodate  the  busi- 
ness interests  of  the  American  people.  This  is  the  argument 
that  I  shall  endeavor  to  set  forth  in  this  pamphlet  in  its  broadest 
and  most  significant  form. 

No  people  in  the  world  are  so  directly  and  so  much  interested 
in  government  as  the  American  people,  for  theirs  is  "a  govern- 
ment of  the  people,  by  the  people,  and  for  the  people ;"  and 
to-day  Washington  cit}-,  with  the  seat  of  government  conven- 
tionally there,  is  not  a  practical  reality  to  the  great  majority  of 
the  free,  enlightened,  and  industrious  American  people.  It  is  an 
effete  thing  of  the  past ;  it  is  a  place  of  no  great  interest  in 
common  -with  the  great  wealth,  industry-,  and  progress  of  the 
American  nation.  It  is  a  tomb  "full  of  dead  men's  bones/' 
having  neither  beaut}^  within  nor  without.  It  has  served  the 
purposes  of  the  Old  Government,  and  held  the  nation  in  bond- 
age, and  now  it  is  unfit  for  the  purposes  of  the  New  Eepublic. 
It  is  henceforth  a  disgrace  to  the  Eepublic  that,  with  its 
40,000,000  inhabitants  and  its  40,000  miles  of  railway,  its 
Capital  should  remain  in  a  city  of  100,000  inhabitants,  and  only 
one  railroad  going  to  and  passing  through  it,  and  that,  too,  the 
most  anti-American  monopoly  on  the  continent. 

There  is  an  instinctive  feeling  pervading  the  American  people 
that  the  growth  of  the  Republic  has  rendered  Washington  unfit 
to  remain  its  Capital,  and  that,  in  subserviency  to  the  will  and 
demands  of  the  people,  the  seat  of  government  will  be  moved 
at  an  early  date  to  the  great  Mississippi  Yalley — to  the  banks  of 
the  Father  of  Waters — to  St.  Louis,  occupying  as  she  does  sub- 
stantially the  geographical  center  of  the  nation.  Especially 
has  she  the  most  important  points  of  special  interest  favorable 
for  the  seat  of  government,  as  I  shall  still  further  point  out. 
No  place  in  the  nation  is  more  suitable  for  the  seat  of  govern- 
ment. Every  American  writer  who  has  spoken  at  all  in  public 
print  has  pointed  to  St.  Louis  as  "the  future  home  of  the  seat 
of  government."  So  also  does  the  American  statesman  look  to 
St.  Loiiis  as  the  most  favored  place  for  the  Capital  of  the  New 
Eepublic ;  and  true  to  the  instinct  of  the  people  will  it  come, 
and  that,  too,  before  another  five  years  passes  away.   This  change 


46  CHANGE    OF    NATIONAL   EMPIRE. 

of  natioual  empire  is  of  more  vast  concern  to  the  future  exist- 
ence and  welfare  of  the  Eepublic  than  most  people  think.  The 
Atlantic  slope  and  Washington  Cit}-  are  but  the  cradle  and  place 
of  national  life  in  our  governmental  infancy,  and  it  is  intolerable 
and  impossible  to  attempt  the  continued  confinement  of  our 
national  life  to  that  cradle  after  the  nation  in  its  maturer  years 
has  grown  far  away  and  far  too  great  for  that  place  of  child- 
hood. Nothing  is  more  deceptive  than  to  think  that  this  great 
people  will  not  make  the  change. 


THE  GEOGRAPHICAL  ARGUMENT. 


St.  Louis  is  situated  on  tho  west  bank  of  the  3Ii9sissippi 
river,  1,350  miles  from  its  mouth,  and  about  1,100  miles  from  the 
Lake  of  the  Woods  on  our  northern  boundary.  It  is  about  1,000 
miles  ■s^'est  from  New  York,  and  2,000  miles  east  of  San  Fran- 
cisco. In  its  relation  to  our  northern  and  southern  boundaries 
it  occupies  substantially  the  geographical  center  of  the  country. 
Its  position,  when  considered  from  the  East  and  "West,  is  not 
central,  geographically  speaking;  yet  I  will  show  by  the  popula- 
tion, commercial,  political,  and  conclusive  arguments,  that  its 
geographical  position,  in  reference  to  tho  East  and  "West,  is 
adjusted,  and  thus  rendered  the  favored  place  for  the  seat  of 
national  empire  for  the  jSTew  Eepublic.  Even  were  there  no 
other  argument,  it  would  be  sufficient  in  itself  to  show  that  by 
far  the  greater  portion  of  our  national  domain  lies  beyond  the 
Mississippi  river,  and  that  the  future  unfoldment  of  the  nation 
will  be  there. 

At  least  10,000  miles  of  navigable  rivers  bear  their  commerce 
in  tho  interest  of  St.  Louis.  And  such  is  its  geographical  posi- 
tion that  it  must  be  tho  vitalizing  heart  of  tho  wealth,  the 
industry,  the  civilization,  the  politics,  and  the  social  progress  of 
the  Mississippi  Valley.  No  inland  place  on  the  continent  holds 
so  favored  a  position.  It  is  the  great  point  of  radiation.  Situ- 
ated in  the  vicinity  of  the  mouths  of  the  Ohio,  the  Missouri, 
and  the  Illinois  rivers,  with  New  Orleans  on  the  south,  Chicago 
on  the  north,  New  York  on  the  east,  and  San  Francisco  on  the 
west,  St.  Louis  cannot  fail  to  hold  tho  most  important  position 
of  any  city  on  the  continent. 

But  there  is  still  a  higher  sense  in  which  to  view  this  matter. 
It  will  bo  found,  by  a  close  examination  of  the  career  of  man- 
kind upon  tho  earth,  that  the}'  have  lived  and  journeyed  around 
the  earth  in  what  has  been  called  an  isothermal  zodiac,  or 
belt  of  equal  temperature,  which  girdles  tho  earth  in  the  north 
temperate  zone.  Within  this  girdle  or  zone  are  all  the  civilized 
nations  of  Asia,  Europe,  and  America,  and  about  850,000,000  or 


48  CHANGE    OF    NATIONAL   EMPIRE. 

nine-tenths  of  the  human  race.  Within  this  isothermal  or  human 
zodiac  or  zone  is  an  axis  indicating  the  central  or  life  line  of  this 
zodiac  around  the  globe.  Starting  from  the  Orient,  in  Ilindos- 
tan,  near  Bombay,  it  passes  northward  through  Persia,  Arabia, 
the  Mediterranean,  France,  England,  thence  to  New  York,  Pitts- 
burg, St.  Louis,  and  on  to  the  Pacific  Ocean. 

"It  is  along  this  axis  of  the  isothermal  temperate  zone  of  the 
northern  hemisphere  that  revealed  civilization  makes  the  circuit 
of  the  globe.  Here  the  continents  expand — the  oceans  contract. 
This  zone  contains  the  zodiac  of  empires.  Along  its  axis,  at 
distances  scarcel}^  varying  one  hundred  leagues,  appear^  the 
great  cities  of  the  world,  from  Pekin,  in  China,  to  St.  Louis,  in 
America.  During  antiquity  this  zodiac  was  narrow  ;  it  never 
expanded  beyond  the  north  African  shore,  nor  beyond  the  Pontic 
Sea,  the  Danube,  and  the  Ehine.  Along  this  narrow  belt  civili- 
zation planted  its  system,  from  oriental  Asia  to  the  western 
extremity  of  Europe,  with  more  or  less  perfect  development. 
Modern  times  have  recently  seen  it  widen  to  embrace  the  region 
of  the  Baltic  Sea.  In  America  it  starts  with  the  broad  front  from 
Cuba  to  Hudson's  Bay.  As  in  all  previous  times,  it  advances 
along  a  line  central  to  these  extremes  in  the  densest  form  and 
with  the  greatest  celerit}-.  Here  are  the  chief  cities  of  intelli- 
gence and  power— the  greatest  intensity  of  energy  and  progress. 

"  Science  has  recently  very  perfectly  established  by  observation 
this  axis  of  the  isothermal  temperate  zone.  It  reveals  to  the 
world  this  shining  fact,  that  along  it  civilization  has  traveled,  as 
by  an  inevitable  instinct  of  nature,  since  creation's  dawn.  From 
this  line  has  radiated  intelligence  of  mind  to  the  North  and  to 
the  South,  and  towards  it  all  people  have  struggled  to  converge. 
Thus,  in  harmony  with  the  supreme  order  of  nature,  is  the  mind 
of  man  instinctively  adjusted  to  the  revolutions  of  the  sun  and 
tempered  by  its  heat." 

No  relation  of  man  to  mother  earth  is  more  interesting 
than  this  fact  of  his  essential  alliance  to  this  zone  by  instinct,  as 
it  were,  and  thus  guided  on  his  journey  around  the  planet. 

When  we  trace  the  axis  of  this  zone,  as  thousands  of  years  of 
history  have  indicated  it  by  temperature  and  population,  encir- 
cling the  earth  like  a  great  magnetic  chord,  we  conceive  that 
when  it  passes  over  our  continent,  like  the  electric  wire  that  is 
hung  in  the  fork  of  the  tree,  so  does  this  great  axis,  in  passing- 
our  continent,  find  lodgment  in  the  forks  of  our  great  rivers, 
thus  passing  within  the  shadow  of  our  city,  and,  as  with  an 
enchanter's  wand,  by  its  touch  awakes  St.  Louis  to  an  imperial 
greatness  and  destiny. 


THE  POPULATION  ARGUMENT. 


The  population  argument  is  one  of  the  most  interesting 
features  of  this  suhjeet,  and  the  one  upon  which  everything  else 
depends.  In  1790;  or  about  the  time  of  the  adoption  of  the 
Federal  Constitution,  we  had  a  population  of  3,929,827,  which 
was  a  little  more  than  the  present  population  of  the  State  of 
]^ew  York.  But  we  have  grown  up  since  then,  and  Avithin  the 
lifetime  of  a  human  being,  to  a  population  of  31,443,322,  and 
will  at  the  census  of  1870  be  increased  to  more  than  40,000,000. 
The  population  of  the  United  States  in  1850  was  23,191,876, 
which  in  ten  years,  or  by  the  time  of  the  taking  of  the  censua 
in  1860,  had  increased  35.52  per  cent. 

The  increase  of  the  population  of  the  ISTorthwest  during  the 
last  ten  years  has  been  67. 9  per  cent.,  while  the  ratio  of 
increase  in  the  whole  countrj'  has  been  35.52.  The  population 
of  the  Northwest,  by  the  census  of  1860,  was  28.85  per  cent, 
nearly  one-third.  Of  the  total  increase  in  the  population  of 
the  country,  44.67  per  cent,  was  in  the  Northwest  alone.  An 
increase  at  the  same  ratio  during  the  present  decade  will  give 
the  Northwest  in  1870  a  population  of  15,212,022— an  increase 
of  6,139,567.  Massachusetts,  the  most  densely  populated  of  all 
tlie  States,  has  157.8  inhabitants  to  the  square  mile.  A  like 
density  of  population  in  the  Northwesi  would  give  us  a  popula- 
tion of  133,011,198.  A  density  of  population  equal  to  that  of 
England  (230  per  square  mile)  would  give  an  enumeration  of 
279,846,120. 

The  popular  vote  of  1852  is  copied  from  the  census  compen- 
dium (1850),  p.  50;  that  of  1860,  from  the  census  returns. 
Under  the  old  apportionment  (1850),  the  Northwest  had  24.31 
per  cent,  of  the  members  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  or  a 
fraction  less  than  one-fourth.     Under  the  census  of  1860,  she  is 


50  CHANGE  OF  NATIONAL  EMPIRE. 

entitled  to  30.47  per  cent.,  or  nearly  one-third.  At  the  Presi- 
dential election  of  1852,  the  I^orthwest  cast  29.46  per  cent,  of 
the  popular  vote.  In  the  Presidential  election  of  1860,  she  cast 
36.24  per  cent,  of  the  popular  vote — more  than  one-third.  In 
the  electoral  college  in  1860,  the  Northwest  cast  23.14  per  cent. 
of  the  vote  for  President  and  Yice  President. 

The  following  table  shows  the  standing  of  the  loyal  States  in 
respect  to  political  power  in  1852  and  1860 : 

1852.  I860. 

Popular  vote  for  President 2,583,918  3,S05,G40 

Electoral  votes 205  

Under  the  new  census 210 

In  1852,  the  Northwest  cast  35.68  per  cent,  of  the  popular 
vote  for  President  in  the  loyal  States,  and  34.63  per  cent,  of  the 
electoral  vote.  In  1860,  she  cast  44.4  per  cent  of  the  popular 
vote,  and  in  1864  had  40.63  per  cent,  of  the  votes  of  the  loyal 
States  in  the  electoral  college. 

In  England,  the  density  of  population  is  about  230  persons  to 
the  square  mile;  but  England  is  in  some  measure  the  work- 
shop of  tho  world,  and  supports  by  her  foreign  trade  a  greater 
population  than  her  soil  can  nourish.  In  France,  the  density  of 
population  is  about  160  to  the  square  mile.  In  Germany,  it 
varies  from  100  to  200. 

Assuming,  on  these  grounds,  that  the  number  of  persons 
which  a  square  mile  can  properly  sustain  in  our  rich  country, 
without  generating  the  presence  of  a  redundant  population,  is 
490  (the  number  authorized  by  a  writer  in  the  Britannica 
Encyclopedia),  this  would,  when  the  country  is  fully  developed, 
give  to  the  Atlantic  slope  a  population  of  219,970,310,  and  to 
the  Valley  States  a  population  of  761,302,530,  and  to  the  Pacific 
slope  a  population  of  483,754,460,  and  to  the  whole  country  a 
total  population  of  1,465,027,400 — a  body  of  people  infinitely 
beyond  the  comprehension  of  the  human  mind.  Even  the  half 
of  this  number  of  inhabitants  would  make  us  the  greatest  nation 
that  ever  ruled  on  earth. 

The  estimate  above  gives  us  a  population  greater  than  the 
entire  present,  population  of  the  woi'ld.  But  the  grandeur  of 
the  thought  still  swells  when  we  consider  that  in  a  little  more 


CHANGE    OF    NATIONAL    EMPIRE.  51 

than  a  century,  or  beginning  with  a  new  era,  our  numbers  will 
well  nigh  approximate  this  great  growth. 

The  extraordinary  tendency  of  population  to  this  country 
from  the  over-populous  regions  of  Europe  overrides  all  theories 
of  a  systematic  increase  of  oxir  population  for  the  present  time. 
Yet  another  census  will  give  the  Mississippi  Yallej'  a  prepon- 
derance of  population  over  the  Atlantic  slope,  and  more  than 
double  that  of  the  Pacific  slope  in  ten  years.  But  from  the 
extraordinary  increase  of  population  which  our  growing  country 
has  sustained,  we  find  ample  hope  for  our  population  to  reach 
that  of  multiplied  millions,  by  the  sj^stematic  and  philosophical 
theory  of  Malthus,  the  great  father  of  political  economy,  which 
no  credible  writer  has  controverted.  Ho  laid  down  as  a  law 
for  human  increase  that  the  productive  powers  of  healthy,  well- 
fed,  well-lodged,  and  well-clothed  human  beings  was  naturally 
80  great  that  fully  two  children  will  be  born  for  every  person 
who  will  die  within  a  given  time;  and  George  Combe,  comment- 
ing upon  this  theory  of  Malthus,  said  that  population  would 
double  itself  every  twenty-five  years.  He  added  that  this  increase 
took  place  in  the  new  States  of  North  America,  independent  of 
immigration.  Then,  taking  the  Malthusian  doctrine  for  our  guide, 
we  would  have  at  least  100,000,000  inhabitants  in  the  United 
States  at  the  close  of  this  century.  But,  with  the  aid  of  immi- 
gration, that  number  will  be  reached  before  the  close  of  the 
century. 

Contemplating  this  vast  increase,  with  its  density,  in  the  Mis- 
sissippi Yalley,  who  is  so  blind  as  not  to  be  able  to  see  that  it  is 
the  right  of  the  wealthy  and  powerful  to  possess  the  seat  of  gov- 
ernment ?  This  subject  of  population  throws  the  argument  more 
especially  in  favor  of  St.  Louis  when  wo  consider  that  the  dis- 
tribution of  population  will  not  bo  uniform  over  the  country, 
but  will  be  much  denser  along  the  rivers  and  lakes  where  com- 
mercial, agricultural,  and  mechanical  pursuits  go  hand  in  hand. 
The  history  of  mankind,  all  over  the  earth,  shoAvs  the  dense 
population  to  be  gathered  along  the  maritime  shores.  Look  to 
the  Babylonians,  the  Tyroans  and  Sidonians,  the  Carthagenians, 
the  Levantes,  the  Eomans.  Look  to  modern  Europe — England 
and  France.  Such  will  be  the  truth  in  our  own  land.  Between 
the  east  line  of  Kansas  and  the  Rocky  Mountains  will  never  be 


62  CHANGE    OF    NATIONAL   EMPIRE. 

a  dense  population,  for  the  country  is  not  adapted  to  a  variety 
of  industrial  pursuits,  such  as  can  be  prosecuted  with  profit. 
That  portion  of  our  domain  will  be  the  great  American  pasture, 
and  will  be  devoted  to  stock-growing  as  the  chief  pursuit,  and 
therefore  will  not,  cannot,  be  densely  populated.  This  will  give 
the  preponderance  of  population  to  the  Mississippi  river  and 
her  tributaries,  and  counterbalance  the  disproportion  of  geo- 
graphical position,  and  more  than  make  up  with  population  for 
St.  Louis  what  she  loses  by  geography,  thereby  rendering  her 
position  the  most  favorable. 

Illinois  and  Missouri  will  not  only  soon  become  the  two  great 
and  powerful  States  of  the  Mississippi  Yalley,  but  also  of  the 
nation ;  and  with  their  rich  soils,  their  valuable  minerals,  their 
timbers,  their  water-powers  and  navigable  advantages,  in  short 
their  supreme  advantages  for  all  the  industrial  pursuits  of 
civilized  life,  they  are  destined  to  support  a  greater  number  of 
American  citizens  to  the  square  mile  than  an}'  other  States  of 
the  Union ;  and  St.  Louis  will,  in  her  future  growth,  extend  her 
limits  to  Alton,  Collinsville,  Belleville,  Jefferson  Barracks, 
Kirkwood,  and,  in  another  century,  be  a  city  of  10,000,000 
inhabitants.  Such  is  American  progress,  and  such  is  American 
destiny. 

The  future  reveals  nothing  but  greatness  —  nothing  but  that 
onward  progress  and  greatness  which  is  everywhere  seen  and 
felt  to  be  approaching.  Let  us  all  anticipate  it  and  be  energized 
by  the  thought  that  multiplied  millions  of  wiser  and  better 
people  than  we  are  soon  to  take  our  places  and  move  on  in  the 
great  caravan  of  life,  as  Divine  law  will  direct. 


THE  COMMERCIAL  ARGUMENT. 


There  can  he  no  mistake  about  St.  Louis  occupj-ing  the  most 
favorable  commercial  position  of  any  inland  city  in  the  Missis- 
sippi Valley.  It  was  no  mere  fancy  of  Pierre  Laclede  Liguest 
that  caused  him  to  select  this  favorable  position  for  a  great  city ; 
in  fact,  there  seemed  to  be  a  kind  of  instinct  that  pointed  the 
early  French  pioneers  to  the  most  favorable  town  sites  in  the 
great  West.  At  the  time  when  the  seat  of  government  was 
located  at  its  present  place,  it  will  be  remembered  that  where 
St.  Louis  now  stands  did  not  belong  to  the  United  States,  nor 
did  a  single  foot  of  land  west  of  the  Mississippi  river,  and  at 
that  time  St.  Louis  was  only  a  trading  post  or  village  of  about 
one  thousand  inhabitants.  It  was  founded  on  the  15th  day  of 
Februarj',  1764. 

The  first  item  of  importance  to  St.  Louis,  as  a  great  commer- 
cial city,  is  its  location,  standing  as  it  does  on  the  great  Missis- 
sippi river,  upon  whose  waters  now  does  and  forever  will  float 
the  greatest  inland  commerce  in  the  world.  It  commands  the 
trade  of  10,000  miles  of  the  most  valuable  river  navigation  on 
the  continent,  and  is  the  only  city  of  importance  on  the  Western 
waters  where  steamboats  come  to  discharge  their  freights  and 
reload  and  return.  It  is  essentially  a  distributing  port.  No 
boats  of  any  value  pass  its  harbor.  To  its  10,000  miles  of  river 
navigation  let  us  add  10,000  miles  of  railway  communication; 
then  let  us  go  forward  but  a  year  or  two  to  that  commercial 
triumph  of  the  West,  when  her  trade,  true  to  a  law  of  nature, 
will  follow  the  great  waters  of  the  gulf  as  surely  as  the  waters 
themselves  find  their  way  there ;  then  with  the  10,000  miles  of 
river  navigation  and  10,000  miles  of  railway  communication,  and 
with  these  rivers  and  railways  bringing  a  rich  commerce  from 
other  lands  and  from  all  over  the  continent,  who  will  not  look 


54  CHANGE    OF    NATIONAL    EMPIRE. 

with  delight  to  St.  Louis  as  destined  to  be  the  great  cit}'  of  the 
Mississippi  Ytillcy — the  great  inLand  depot  of  the  continent? 

Touching  the  commercial  importance  of  St.  Louis^  it  is  "vvell 
that  we  look  beyond  and  see  what  shape  the  commerce  and 
industry  of  the  country  will  take. 

At  this  time  there  is  a  continental  strife  for  commercial 
supremacy  inaugurated  between  the  Atlantic  cities  and  the 
people  of  the  West.  The  contest  is  for  the  purpose  of  deter- 
mining whether  the  trade  of  the  ^Yest  shall  go  across  the 
continent  to  the  Atlantic  cities,  or  whether  it  will  go  down  the 
Mississippi  river  and  her  tributai'ies  to  the  Gulf,  and  from 
thence  to  the  markets  of  the  world.  In  this  contest  the  AYest 
will  triumph  and  her  products  follow  the  water  courses.  The 
question  will  be  settled  in  the  next  three  j'ears. 

Following  this  contest  will  come  that  long-anticipated  change, 
or  at  least  the  time  for  it,  Avhen  a  railway  is  completed  to  the 
Pacific  Ocean,  and  we  look  for  our  trade  with  China  and  India 
to  find  its  way  to  us  through  ditferent  channels.  In  this  matter 
the  people  have  no  doubt  over-estimated  the  importance  and 
magnitude  of  that  great  continental  change  in  our  foreign  com- 
merce. It  is  true  the  completion  of  those  great  railways  will 
be  a  wonderful  triumph  of  American  industry ;  but  their  com- 
pletion will  not  bring  such  a  change  and  such  an  era  in  our 
continental  developmeiit  as  many  have  anticipated.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  great  commercial  and  civil  era  to  which  we  are 
approaching  will  come,  with  our  industrial  and  commercial  ten- 
dency, to  the  tropics  of  our  own  hemisphere.  In  industry  the 
destiny  of  this  people  is  a  continental  conquest.  Nothing  but 
wild  and  foolish  extravagance  and  impracticability  will  lead  our 
people  over  distant  oceans  to  distant  lands  for  products,  when 
we  have  at  home  all  the  climates,  all  the  soils,  and  all  the 
advantages  that  the  globe  can  afford.  IS  or  will  the  American 
people  act  so  foolishly.  It  is  not  in  their  experience  to  do  so. 
They  will  do  otherwise.  Already  there  is  a  gi"eat  trade  in  the 
tropics,  which  our  people  can  easily  command  if  they  do  but 
make  the  proper  use  of  the  means  within  their  reach. 

The  following  remarks  of  Judge  Burwell,  of  New  Orleans, 
taken  from  a  speech  of  his  before  the  St.  Louis  Board  of  Trade, 


CHANGE    OF    NATIONAL   EMPIRE.  56 

Monday,  October  19,  1868,  are  full  instruction  upon  the  trade 
of  some  ports  of  the  tropics,  and  should  have  great  weight  in 
influencing  the  people  of  the  West  in  their  con^mercial  action  : 

A  COMMERCIAL   TOLIGY   FOR  THE   AMERICAN  CON- 
TINENT. 

But  those  who  will  examine  the  present  trade  relations 
between  the  United  States  and  Territories  referred  to  will  find 
very  many  expensive  and  vexatious  impediments  and  charges 
that  should  be  and  may  be  removed  by  a  proper  exercise  of 
diplomatic  influence. 

It  is  impossible  to  part  from  this  subject  without  calling  to 
your  attention  the  importance  of  the  Cuban  trade  and  the  sin- 
gular facilities  which  exist  for  securing  it  to  the  United  States. 
It  is  not  the  province  of  a  commercial  discourse  to  provide  for  or 
even  propose  the  acquisition  of  the  Island  of  Cuba,  but  it  may 
be  reasonabl}'  expected  that  all  the  impediments  to  a  direct 
commercial  intercourse  will  be  removed. 

There  is  no  reason  why  a  reciprocity  treaty  maj-  not  as  well 
be  made  in  regard  to  Cuba  as  Canada.  But  supposing  all  trade 
impediments  removed,  how  attractive  the  commercial  pros- 
pect? Cuba  produced  last  year  §259,000,000  value  5  of  this, 
perhaps,  thirty  millions  dollars  in  sugar,  coffee,  and  other 
products  have  been  imported  into  the  Western  States  and 
Territories.  Cu1)a  consumed,  perhaps,  500,000  barrels  of  foreign 
flour,  besides  other  pi'ovisions,  and  this  could  be  supplied  by  the 
Western  States  and  Territories.  Already  Havana  is  within  less 
than  one  hundred  hours  of  St.  Louis  and  Chicago  by  steamer 
and  rail.  This  time  could  be  reduced  considerabl}-.  But  with 
the  removal  of  all  impediments  to  a  free  interchange  of  com- 
modities between  these  great  and  reciprocating  interests,  how 
extensive  and  how  precious  must  be  the  commex'ce.  A  similar 
estimate  may  be  made  in  regard  to  the  trade  between  Ncav 
Orleans,  Vera  Cruz,  and  other  Gulf  ports.  The  Isthmus  of 
Panama,  however,  presents  the  most  attractive  prospect  of 
gathering  an  immediate  harvest.  Last  year  there  crossed  the 
Panama  Railroad  more  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
tons  of  freight,  with  some  thirty  thousand  passengers  and  per- 
haps thirty  millions  of  the  precious  metals.  While  much  of 
these  last  items  will  be,  of  course,  diverted  to  the  Pacific  rail- 
road, there  will  be  always  an  important  value  of  commerce 
crossing  at  that  point.  Take,  then,  what  we  will  estimate  the 
proportion  duo  to  the  Valley  of  the  Mississippi  and  of  the 
lakes,  it  will  be  seen   that  this  portion  can  be  readily  taken 


56  CHANGE    OF    NATIONAL    EMPIRE. 

direct  from  Panama  to  Chicago  and  St.  Louis  by  way  of  New 
Orleans.  The  distance  from  Panama  to  JSTew  York  is  2,800 
miles,  or  ten  days  of  gulf  and  ocean  voyage,  with  its  propor- 
tionate insurance.  The  distance  from  Panama  to  New  Orleans 
is  1,700  miles,  or  about  seven  and  a  half  days,  with  insurance  in 
proportion.  From  New  York  to  Chicago  is  about  950  miles 
rail,  to  St.  Louis  is  about  1,200  miles  all  rail;  fi'om  New  Orleans 
to  Chicago,  all  rail,  will  be  about  950  miles,  and  from  New 
Orleans  to  St.  Louis  something  less.  These  are  approximate 
and  not  exact  distances ;  but  they  show  that  a  passenger  or  a 
package  at  Panama,  destined  for  either  Chicago  or  St.  Louis, 
could  reach  Chicago  in  some  three  days'  less  time  by  way  of 
New  Orleans  than  by  way  of  New  York,  and  would  reach  St. 
Louis  with  still  less  time  and  distance.  These  sketches  are  but 
suggestive,  for  it  is  impossible  to  go  into  the  details  of  a  subject 
80  extensive. 

But  do  they  not  all  point  to  the  importance  of  an  organiza- 
tion of  the  interests  concerned  in  this  great  commerce  ?  Do 
they  not  justify  these  interests  in  making  a  combined  demand 
on  "Congress  to  view  with  equal  favor  the  inboard  line  of  trans- 
portation and  its  outlet,  as  the  coast  line  of  the  Atlantic  or 
Pacific?  If  Congress  gives  aid  to  steam  lines  from  New  York 
^to  Eio,  or  to  Vera  Cruz,  or  to  Havana,  or  Panama,  or  from  San 
Francisco  to  China,  should  it  not,  in  common  justice,  aid  steam 
lines  from  New  Orleans  to  the  Gulf  and  Atlantic  ports,  and  even 
to  those  of  Europe? 

Bat  to  organize  this  trade  will  require  certain  combinations 
between  the  river  and  ocean  steamers.  A  first-class  ocean 
steamer  for  the  Eio  trade  will  cost  §100,000.  She  will  carry  out 
nine  thousand  five  hundred  barrels,  and  bring  back  fifteen  thou- 
sand sacks  of  coffee.  The  voyage,  out  and  in,  from  New  Orleans 
may  occupy  about  seventy-five  days  —  equal  to  about  five  trips 
a  year.  Now,  if  the  lake  and  river  cities  will  take  joint  stock 
in  such  aline  of  steamers,  and  run  their  railroads,  steamboats  and 
barges  in  close  connection  with  them  —  prorating  for  distances, 
signing  through,  and  consigning  tp  each  other  without  other 
than  actual  charges,  it  is  perfectly  plain  that  each  line  must  load 
the  other,  and  that  the  whole  freights  thus  apportioned  will  sup- 
port these  lines  as  they  do  those  which  now  conduct  it.  This 
enterprise  is  equally  as  applicable  to  the  communication  between 
Chicago  and  St.  Louis,  and  Havana,  Vera  Cruz  and  Panama,  as 
with  Eio.  Develop  a  continental  market  for  American  f)i'0- 
ducts.  To  impress  on  a  commercial  audience  the  immense 
importance  of  requiring  Western  members  of  Congress,  without 
respect  to  politics,  to  demand  of  the  existing  and  future  admin- 
istrations the  removal  of  these  obstacles  to  our  trade,  it  may  be 
proper  to  remind  them  of  its  extreme  value.     The  general  trade 


CHANGE    OF    NATIONAL   EMPIRE.  57 

of  the  continent  and  islands  fioiith  of  the  United  States  was 
estimated  ten  years  ago  at  8500,000,000.  It  comprises  many 
products  not  cultivated  elsewhere  than  at  or  near  the  tropics. 
It  brings  to  Western  millions  products  desired  by  civilized  man. 
It  affords  woods  for  use  and  ornament ;  drugs  for  our  climatic 
diseases.  In  return,  this  market  demands  a  very  lai'ge  supplj'  of 
AV^estern  provisions.  Now,  when  we  regard  the  immense  devel- 
opment of  European  productions  bj'  the  same  means  of  artificial 
transportation  with  our  own — when  we  note  the  transfer  of  a 
productive  force  by  immigration  from  Europe  to  America,  it  is 
obvious  that  the  grain  and  other  productions  of  the  Ukraine,  the 
Don,  and  the  Danube,  will  be  poui'ed  in  increased  volume  into 
the  consuming  markets  of  Europe.  This  form  of  consumption 
will  react,  no  doubt,  upon  the  abundant  provision  supply,  and 
perhaps,  except  in  seasons  of  famine  or  low  wages,  consume 
about  all  that  can  be  imported  from  other  countries.  But  th« 
United  States  lies  near  the  whole  of  our  southern  continent,  and 
it  can  deliver  its  provision  crops,  with  proper  facilities,  at  a 
cheaper  rate  than  the  European  farmer,  who  must  cross  four 
thousand  miles  of  intervening  ocean.  Wh}-,  then,  should  not 
some  statesman  of  the  West,  emulating  the  example  and  per- 
petuating the  ideas  of  3'our  own  great  Benton,  take  up  this  sub- 
ject and  consummate  the  great  exchange  of  Western  provisions 
for  tropical  products.  It  is  a  work  worthy  the  ambition  of  a 
patriot,  and  the  prosperity  which  would  follow  would  raise  his 
renown  above  the  grade  of  military  glory  or  the  successful 
diplomacy  of  the  most  astute  politician.  Let  me,  then,  give  an 
example  of  the  trade  which  might  be  advantageously  opened 
with  Brazil,  Cuba,  and  Mexico.  Congress  has  committed  the 
guardianship  of  commerce  and  finance  to  the  ffity  of  New  York,  or 
rather  that  great  city  has  secured,  by  her  energ}'  and  enterprise, 
the  stewardship  of  the  Union.  She  has  now  postal  subventions 
to  Eio,  Havana,  Panama,  Vera  Cruz,  as  the  Pacific  city  of  San 
Francisco  has  to  China.  The  Government  now  pays  a  line  of 
steamers,  running  between  New  York  and  Kio,  §150,000  for 
twelve  round  trips  jDcr  annum.  Every  practical  merchant  will 
see  what  immense  aid  this  must  afford  this  line  in  any  contest 
for  the  Rio  trade.  Now.  if  Congress  will  divide  this  subvention, 
or  give  as  mucli  to  a  similar  lino  between  New  Orleans  and 
Eio,  or,  indeed,  suspend  any  appropriation  to  either,  it  is 
very  obvious  that  a  line  from  New  Orleans,  running  in  con- 
nection with  our  river  vessels,  must  possess  great  advantages, 
as  far  as  St.  Louis  and  Chicago  are  concerned.  It  is  obvious 
that  the  voyage  between  Kio  and  Now  Orleans  is  not  longer 
than  between  New  York  and  Pio.  Now,  a  cargo  of  flour  being 
at  St.  Louis  can  surely  be  shipped  at  less  cost  by  the  river  to  New 
Orleans   than   by  rail  to    New  York ;    and  a   cargo   of  coffee 

4 


58  CHANGE    OP    NATIONAL   EMPIRE. 

iraported  can  nndoubtedly  be  brought  cheaper  in  return.  For 
the  first  time,  perhaps,  this  great  inboard  line  of  river  and  rail 
communication  between  the  South  and  North  is  prepared  to 
compete  with  the  coastwise  route.  Will  it  not  promote  the 
interests  of  the  West  to  pay  its  freights  for  this  transportation 
to  its  own  railroad,  steamboat  and  bai-ge  companies,  rather  than 
to  coastwise  shipping  and  coast-route  lines  owned  and  operated 
elsewhere  ? 

The  people  of  St.  Louis  and  the  West  must  learn  that  next 
in  importance  to  the  Mississippi  river  is  a  railway  through  the 
Southwest  to  Galveston,  thus  making  a  great  trunk  line  from 
Chicago  via  St.  Louis  to  the  Gulf,  and  uniting  the  Gulf  and  the 
lakes  at  a  distance  of  about  1,000  miles,  and  St.  Louis  to  the 
Gulf  at  a  distance  of  about  700  miles.  Akin  to  this  road  in 
importance  will  be  another  from  Denver  City  into  Mexico.  B3' 
these  means  will  be  won  a  commerce  from  the  tropics  and  South 
America  surpassing  the  distant  trade  of  the  Orient.  With  all 
these  future  developments  of  our  continental  and  foreign  trade, 
St.  Louis  will  still  remain  the  central  city  and  commercial  depot 
of  the  country;  and  with  the  minerals  and  coal  of  Missouri  and 
Illinois,  the  timber  and  the  water,  the  groat  workshops  of  the 
country  will  be  hers. 

The  following  article  upon  South  American  commerce,  from 
the  Ainerican  Gazette,  published  at  Philadelphia,  is  also  inte- 
resting to  the  subject : 

In  the  last  five  years  the  tonnage  of  the  United  States  shipping 
has  fallen  from  6,000,000  tons  to  3,300,000.  In  the  same  period 
the  foreign  shipping  trade  to  the  United  States  has  increased 
from  2,600,000  to  4,500,000  tons.  The  increase  has  been  mainly 
British.  The  decrease  has  been  exclusively  American.  We  do 
not  cite  the  facts  as  a  discouragement,  but  as  an  incentive. 
They  show,  if  anything  can  show,  how  important  it  is  that 
effectual  measures  should  be  immediately  undertaken  to  restore 
to  us  that  prosperity  in  this  important  field  that  once  belonged 
to  us. 

Foremost  among  the  opportunities  of  the  moment  for  creating 
this  restoration  is  the  opening  of  the  navigation  of  the  Amazon 
to  the  flags  of  all  nations.  In  this  estimate  we  by  no  means 
overlook  the  advantages  immediately  and  prospectivel}'  accruing 
from  closer  commercial  relations  with  China,  Japan,  and  West- 
ern South  America,  and  from  the  increased  whaling,  fishing,  and 
lumber  business  of  the  JSTorthern  Pacific.     They  have  their  sev- 


CHANGE    OF   NATIONAL    EMPIRE.  59 

eral  places,  and  very  important  they  are  too.  But  the  facilities 
for  business  given  by  the  opening  of  the  Amazon  may,  if  imme- 
diately and  wisely  improved,  go  as  far  as  an}-  in  enlarging  our 
mercantile  marine  until  it  swells  beyond  its  furthest  limits.  The 
Amazon  was  opened  by  Brazil  on  the  7th  of  September,  and  all 
of  its  tributaries  —  the  Tocantins  and  the  San  Francisco  —  are 
free  for  direct  trade  to  all  countries.  Now  Brazil  is  one  of  the 
largest  empires  in  the  world.  It  is  twelve  times  as  large  as 
France,  and  comprehends  a  surface  of  2,700,000  square  miles, 
with  a  seacoast  of  more  than  4,0U0  miles;  borders  on  nearly  all 
the  States  of  South  America,  as  well  as  on  the  British,  French, 
and  Dutch  possessions,  and  its  river  system  is  equal  and  in  some 
respects  superior  to  that  of  this  country.  The  country  is  thinly 
populated,  and  only  about  half  civilized  in  the  interior,  from 
which  it  may  be  calculated  how  great  a  field  for  trade  is  opened, 
and  how  rapidly  civilization  and  business  will  follow  a  wise, 
liberal,  and  energetic  cultivation  of  our  commercial  relations 
there.     We  may  treble  our  trade  in  three  years. 

For  hundreds  of  years  the  Amazon,  navigable  for  nearly  four 
thousand  miles  through  the  heart  of  Brazil,  has  been  closed  to 
foreigners.  Fewer  vessels  pass  between  any  two  points  on  it  in 
a  year  than  run  from  St.  Louis  to  New  Orleans  in  a  month.  The 
tides  of  the  Atlantic,  into  which  it  flows  through  an  embouchure 
186  miles  across,  are  felt  400  miles  from  its  mouth,  where  the 
water  is  twenty  fathoms  deep  and  the  river  more  than  a  mile 
wide.  Its  banks  and  the  interior  on  either  side  produce  maize, 
rice,  coifce,  sugar,  cotton,  tobacco,  spices,  timber,  medicinal 
plants,  cattle,  gold,  iron,  and  lead.  Bolivia  opened  the  tributa- 
ries to  the  Amazon  from  her  territory  to  all  countries  in  1853. 
Brazil  neutralized  the  uses  of  this  concession  by  closing  the 
Amazon,  through  which  alone  the  Bolivian  streams  could  be 
reached.  Now,  however,  this  is  changed,  and  the  Bolivian 
concession  may  be  improved.  The  Tocantins,  a  tributary  to  the 
Amazon,  is  1,200  miles  long.  It  threads  very  fertile  countries, 
but  is  not  continuously  navigable,  owing  to  falls.  It  is  opened 
by  decree,  however,  to  Cameta,  with  40,000  inhabitants,  and 
from  Madeira  to  Manaos,  provinces  rather  than  cities.  The  San 
Francisco,  the  other  river  recently  opened,  is  about  1,300  miles 
long,  but,  owing  to  obstructions,  cannot  be  navigated  any  higher 
than  Penedo.  At  intervals  it  is  navigable  beyond  for  200  miles 
together.  The  current  will  carry  vessels  100  miles  in  twenty- 
four  hours.  Gold  is  among  its  deposits.  Nitrate  of  soda  is 
found  on  its  banks;  and  in  one  spot,  a  valley  sixteen  leagues 
broad  and  twenty  long,  it  is  found  on  the  surface,  and  every- 
where is  procurable  with  little  labor.  The  article  is  so  valuable 
as  a  fertilizer  that  our  demand  for  it  might  alone  maintain  a 
large  commerce. 


CO  CHANGE    OP    NATIONAL    EMPIRE. 

Whatever  advantages  ai-e  to  be  gained  from  the  opening  of 
these  rivers  should  inure  to  our  eoraraerce.  The  winds  and  cur- 
rents are  so  much  in  our  favor  that  a  chip  thrown  into  the 
AtLantic  at  the  mouth  of  the  Amazon  would  float  b}^  Hatteras, 
in  the  very  line  of  navigation ;  and  our  Atlantic  ports  of  Balti- 
more, Philadelphia,  and  New  York,  are  natural  half-wa^'  houses 
between  Para  and  Europe.  What  we  need  is  the  prudent  enter- 
prise to  improve  this  opening.  Had  it  occurred  in  1863,  or  at 
any  subsequent  day  to  the  rebellion,  our  flag  would  already 
have  been  there,  and  our  exchanges  would  have  been  made  along 
the  whole  banks  of  the  streams.  But  now  we  hesitate.  Thus 
far  we  are  aware  of  nothing  that  has  been  done.  As  such 
advantages  cannot  long  lie  idle,  we  look  to  an  early  moment 
when  they  will  be  seized,  and  another  aid  given  thus  to  that 
renewed  maritime  activity  that  should  date  from  this  year.  If 
the  opportunities  aflforded  in  Eastern  Asia,  in  the  Northern 
Pacific,  on  both  coasts  of  South  America,  and  now  into  the  very 
heart  of  that  part  of  the  hemisj^here,  are  not  mirrored  in  a 
rapid  commercial  improvement,  we  shall  begin  to  believe  that 
the  nature  of  our  people  has  changed,  and  that  they  are  at  last 
unable  to  see  or  unwilling  to  improve  occasions  of  the  greatest 
value. 

These  two  preceding  statements  show  to  the  American  people 
a  field  of  commerce  more  inviting,  at  our  own  doors,  than  can 
be  found  far  away  in  the  Orient;  and  every  consideration  of  our 
industry  and  commerce  demands  that  no  opportunity  be  lost  in 
establishing  the  most  liberal  governmental  policy  by  which  to 
secure  it. 

By  cultivating  that  rich  trade  of  the  Routhern  countries,  the 
Atlantic  sea-board  cities,  and  those  of  the  Gulf,  will  gain  back 
more  in  value  than  they  will  lose  of  the  Orient  trade  after  the 
completion  of  the  Pacific  Eailway. 


THE  POLITICAL  ARGUMENT. 


There  is  still  another  way  by  which  we  can  demonstrate  the 
growth  and  preponderance  of  power  in  the  West  over  the  old 
federal  arrangement  of  the  Government.  It  is  by  showing  the 
approaching  supremacy  of  political  power  in  the  union  of  the 
Yalley  States  with  those  of  the  Pacific  slope.  The  Atlantic 
slope  has  an  area  of  423,197  square  miles,  which  is  divided 
into  seventeen  States.  Under  the  Constitution  they  are  allowed 
34  Senators  and  120  Eepreseutatives  in  the  National  Legislature. 
The  Mississippi  Valley  has  an  area  of  1,899,811  square  miles, 
with  less  than  one-third  of  its  territory  made  into  States.  It 
now  has  eighteen  States,  which  under  the  Federal  Constitution 
are  allowed  36  Senators  and  115  Eepreseutatives  in  the  National 
Legislature.  The  Pacific  slope  has  an  area  of  627,256  square 
miles,  part  of  which  is  made  into  three  States,  which  are  entitled 
to  six  Senators  and  five  Representatives  in  the  National  Legisla- 
ture. Alaska  has  an  area  of  577,390  square  miles,  and  is  large 
enough  to  make  more  than  fourteen  States  as  large  as  Ohio. 
Another  view  of  our  country  shows  860,000  square  miles  cast  of 
the  Mississippi  river,  which  is  already  divided  into  twenty-seven 
States,  including  Louisiana  and  West  Yirginia.  These  send  54 
Senators  and  205  Representatives  to  the  National  Legislature. 
West  of  the  Mississippi  river  we  have  2,070,000  square  miles, 
exclusive  of  Alaska,  which  at  the  least  calculation  ought  to  be 
made  into  fifty  new  States,  each  one  of  them  being  larger  than 
Ohio  and  containing  40,000  square  miles. 

By  these  figures  it  is  easy  to  be  seen  that  the  great  prepon- 
derance of  political  power  will  soon  be  far  removed  from  the 
Atlantic  slope. 

It  is  safe  to  say  that  the  census  returns  of  1870  will  show  the 
Mississippi  Yalley  to  more  than  double  the  Atlantic  slope  in 


62  CHANGE  OF  NATIONAL  EMPIRE. 

many  departments  of  the  national  wealth  of  the  country,  and 
therefore  compel  the  preponderance  of  taxation  west  of  the 
Alleghany  mountains.  Already,  by  the  census  of  1860,  the  cash 
value  of  farms  in  the  Mississippi  Valley,  the  value  of  farming 
implements,  the  value  of  live  stock,  and  the  value  of  animals 
slaughtered,  was  far  in  advance  of  the  Atlantic  slope.  IMot  only 
will  the  greater  portion  of  the  taxes  to  support  the  Government 
come  from  the  West,  but  also  will  the  popular  vote  of  the 
country  be  far  greater  in  the  Mississippi  Valley;  and  thus  In 
every  way  the  political  power  of  the  Eepublic  will  soon  be  found 
far  away  from  the  present  seat  of  government.  Nothing  is  more 
certain  than  this;  and  who  is  so  foolish  as  not  to  be  able  to 
comprehend  that  political  power  will  not,  when  backed  by  the 
wealth,  the  genius,  and  the  preponderating  millions  of  American 
citizens,  demand  that  the  seat  of  government  shall  come  to  the 
Mississippi  Valley  ?  Even  now  the  preponderance  of  power  is 
in  the  hands  of  the  "West,  and  her  people  have  made  np  their 
minds  to  ask  for  its  removal  before  another  Presidential  term 
expii-es. 

Aside  from  numerical  numbers  and  territorial  extent,  the 
cohesive  power  of  nationality  demands  that  the  ruling  power  of 
a  nation  be  located  in  the  midst  of  its  material  power.  The  life 
of  a  nation  is  made  doubl}''  secure  when  united  with  the  strong- 
est and  greatest  commercial  and  material  interests  of  its  people ; 
for  thus  united  they  become  a  complement  in  purpose  and  des- 
tiny—  the  security  and  perpetuity  of  the  one  becomes  the 
security  for  the  j)erpetuity  of  the  other.  Philosophy  is  alike 
applicable  in  the  institutions  of  men  as  in  the  works  of  nature, 
and  nothing  can  be  more  absurd  than  to  imagine  that  the  life 
and  perpetuity  of  this  Eepublic  is  as  secure  for  the  future,  with 
the  seat  of  government  at  Washington  —  a  distant  place  on  the 
outskirts  of  the  country,  with  no  material  power  or  commercial 
prestige  —  as  it  would  be  at  a  central  position  in  the  Mississippi 
Valley,  where  the  great  vitalizing  heart  of  the  Eepublic  beats  in 
keeping  with  its  onward  march  of  progress  and  greatness. 


THE  CONCLUSIVE  ARGUMENT. 


Perhaps  tho  reader  of  this  little  pamphlet,  if  hm  mind  was 
not  already  favorable  to  its  cause,  will  be  satisfied  of  its  justness 
before  he  reaches  this  conclusive  argument.  If  not,  I  only  ask 
his  further  consideration  of  the  matter,  and  then  demand  of  him 
an  impartial  decision. 

The  statement  of  the  Old  Government  and  the  map  show 
that  the  location  of  the  Capital  of  the  Nation  by  the  first 
Congress,  in  1790,  was  an  act  total!}'  supported  b}"  local  and 
incidental  circumstances,  belonging  wholl}^  to  that  period,  and 
not  of  any  value  whatever  at  the  present  time. 

The  map  and  statement  of  the  New  Eepublic  show,  in  the 
most  clear  and  conclusive  manner,  the  existence  of  entire 
diiferent  incidents  and  circumstances  at  the  present  time,  and 
that  the  circumstances  and  incidents  demand  a  change  of 
national  empire,  or  the  removal  of  the  scat  of  government  to 
the  Yalley  of  the  Mississippi, 

I  have  shown  the  wonderful  growth  of  the  nation,  in  terri- 
torial extent  and  material  power,  since  the  adoption  of  the 
Federal  Constitution,  to  be  essentially  beyond  the  limits  of  the 
thirteen  States  of  the  Old  Government,  and  far  away  to  the 
Mississippi  River  and  the  Pacific  Ocean.  I  have  endeavored  to 
show  that  that  growth,  with  its  transfer  of  material  power  to 
the  Valley  States,  creates,  by  means  of  our  geographical  expan- 
sion, our  immense  increase  of  population,  our  vast  internal  and 
"Western  commerce,  and  our  political  powei*,  a  demand  for  the 
removal  of  the  seat  of  government  to  the  Mississippi  Valley. 

But,  in  a  further  and  more  conclusive  consideration  of  the 
subject,  the  attention  of  the  reader  is  asked  to  more  evidence 
of  the  material  growth  and  vastiiess  of  the  Republic.  To  begin 
the  submission  of  that  evidence,  the  following  table  is  offered 
as  a  basis  : 


64 


GHANGE    OF    NATIONAL   EMPIRE. 


Historical  and  statistical  table  of  the   United   States   of  North 

America. 

[Note. — The  whole  area  of  the  United  States,  including  water  surface  of  lakes  and 
rivers,  is  nearly  equal  to  four  million  square  miles,  embracing  the  Russian  purchase.] 


The  thirteen  original  States. 


New  Hampshire 

Massachusetts 

Rhode  Island 

Connecticut 

New  York 

New  Jersey 

Pennsylvania 

Delaware 

Mar3dand 

Virginia— East  and  West 

North  Carolina 

South  Carolina 

Georgia 


Area  in 
square  miles. 


,280 
,800 
,306 
,7.50 
,000 
,320 
,000 
,120 
,124 
,3.52 
,704 
,000 
,000 


♦Population, 
1860. 


326,073 

1,231,066 
174,620 
460,147 

3,880,735 
672,035 

2,906,115 
112,216 
687,049 

1,. 596, 318 
992,  (i22 
703,708 

1,0.57,286: 


H 
fcp 

'S  o 
&  ■" 
to 

5 

o 

<1 

u.  S. 
Statutes. 

Act  admitting  State. 

U.  S. 
Statutes. 

s 

o 

5 

.2 

s 

g 

CO 

States  admitted. 

> 

Pi 

o 

■a 
to 

1. 

c 

Kentucky 

Feb.      4,1791 
Feb.     18,  1791 
June      1,1796 
April  30, 1802 
.April     8,1812 
Dec.     11,1816 
Doc.    10,1817 
Dec.       3,  1818 
Dec,     14,  1819 
March  3, 18-20 
Slarch  2,  1821 
June    15,  1836 
Jan.     -Hi,  1837 
March  3, 1845 

do 

Dec.     29,  1845 
March  3, 1847 
Sept.      9,  1850 
Feb..     26,  18.57 
Feb.     14,  1859 
.Ian.     29, 186l! 

1 
1 

1 
2 
•2 

3 

3 

3 

3 

3 

3 

5 

5 

5 

5 

9 

9 

9 

11 

11 

12 

12 

13 

13 

13 

189 
191 
491 
173 
701 
399 
472 
536 
608 
544 
615 

50 
144 
742 
742 
108 
178 
452 
166 
383 
1-26 
633 

30 

32 

47 

37,6801,1.55,084 
*10  212i    315  098 

Vermont 

1 

...j  ... 

45  600  1,109  801 

Ohio 

Ord'ceof  1787 
March   3,  1805 
May       7,  1800 
Api-il     7,  1798 
Feb.       3,1809 
March   3,  1817 

39,904  2, 239,. 502 
*4 1,3461     708,002 

33,8091,350,428 

47,1.56i     791,, -305 
*.55, 410  1,711, 951 

50,722j     964  -'01 

Louisiana 

Indiana 

Mississippi 

Illinois 

Alabama.. . 

2 
2 
1 
2 
3 

331 

58 
549 
514 
371 

Maine 

*35,000      6'J8  -270 

Missouri 

Arkansas 

Michiy:an 

Florida 

June      4,  1812 
March   2,  1819 
.Jan.     11,  1805 
March  30,  18-22 
June     12,  is:i8 

2 
3 

2 

3 

5 

743 
493 
309 
654 
235 

*65,3.50 

52,198 

*.56,451 

.59,268 

55,045 

*-274,356 
.53,924 

*188,981 
83,531 
95,-274 
81,318 
23,000 

1,182,012 
435,4,50 
749,113 
140,4-25 
674,948 
604,215 

Texas 

Wisconsin 

April   20,  1836 

5 

10 

'  775,881 

305,439 
173,855 

March   3,  1849 
Aug.     14,  1848 
May      30,  1854 

9 

9 

10 

403 
323 

277 

Oregon 

.52,465 

Kansas 

107,206 

West  Virginia.   .     j 

Dec.     31,1862 

Jfevada 

Colorado 

March  2,  1861 
Feb.     28,  1861 
May     30,  1854 

12 
12 
10 

209 
172 

277 

March  21, 1864 

1112,090       §6,8.57 

II 10, 507 

*104,,500     §,!4,277 

Nebraska 

1 

March  1,1867| 

||J,-2(il 
75,995       28,841 

CHANOE    OF    NATIONAL    EMPIRE. 


65 


Territories . 


Acts  organ- 
izing 'I'er- 
ritories. 


\ew  Mexico Sept .      0,  ISoO 

Utah I ilo 

Wasliin^ton !  March    2, 1853 

Dakota IMarch   2,  1801 

Arizona !Fel).     Zi,  186;{ 

March   3,  18G3 
May     2G,  18W 


Idaho 

Montana 

Indian  Territory 

District  of  Columbia. 


***N.  Western  America,  piirchaseil 
by  treaty  of  May  28,  18G7 


July     16, 
March  3, 


1790 
1791 


U.S. 

statutes. 


44() 
4.-)3 
17-2 
239 
G(!4 
t>08 
85 


130 
214 


121,201 

ir88,(tri(; 

(i9,!l9t 
240,.-);)7 

»«ii3,9i(; 

90,932 
143,770 

08,991 
10  miles 
square. 

577,390 


*roijuhition. 


The  estimated 
))(>)iuhition  of 
the.se  Terri- 
tories on  Jan. 
1st,  1805,  as 
above  indica- 
ted, was  300,- 
000. 


70,000 


*The  total  population  of  the  United  States  in  18()0  was,  in  round  numbers,  31, .500, 000. 
In  18(>5  it  is  estimated  that  the  population  was  35, .590,000,  including  the  inhabitants  of 
the  Territories,  estimated  at  300,000  persons  on  January  1,  1S05.  At  the  present  time, 
November  1,  1807,  according  to  the  most  s.itisfactory  estimate,  it  is  about  38, .500, 000. 
In  1870,  according  to  existing  ratios,  the  population  of  tliis  country  will  be  over 
42,2,50,000.     At  the  end  of  the  i)resent  century,  107,000,(K)0. 

tThe  area  of  those  States  marked  with  a  star  is  derived  from  geograpliical  authori- 
ties, the  public  surveys  not  liaviiig  been  completely  extended  over  them. 

I  rile  present  area  of  Nevada  is  112,09l»  scjuare  miles,  enlarged  by  adding  one  degree 
of  longitude,  lying  between  the  ;i7th  and  42d  degrees  of  north  latitude,  which  was 
detached  fromtht  west  part  of  Utah  and  also  northwestern  part  of  Arizona  Territory, 
per  act  of  Congress,  approved  May  5,  1800;  U.  S.  Laws  1805  and  1800,  page  43,  and  as 
assented  to  by  the  legislature  of  the  State  of  Nevada,  January  18,  1867. 

§  White  persons. 

II  Indians. 

ir  The  present  area  of  Utah  is  88,0.50  square  miles,  reduced  from  the  former  area  of 
100, 38i  square  miles  by  incorporating  one  degree  of  longitude  on  the  west  side,  between 
the  37th  and  42d  degrees  of  north  latitude,  with  the  State  of  Nevada,  per  act  of  Con- 
gress, approved  May  5,  1860,  and  as  acceiited  liy  the  legislature  of  Nevada,  Jan.  18,  1807. 

**The  present  area  of  Arizona  is  113,910  square  miles,  reduced  from  the  former  area 
of  120,141  square  miles  by  an  act  of  Congrer^s,  approved  Jlay  5,  1806,  detaching  from 
the  northwestern  part  of  Arizona  a  tract  of  land  eqiial  to  12,225  sijuare  miles,  and 
adding  it  to  the  State  of  Nevada      U.  S.  Laws  1805  and  1806,  page  43. 

Nkv.vd.\— Enabling  act  approved  Alai-ch  21, 1804;  Statutes,  volume  13,  page 30.  Duly 
admitted  into  the  Union.  President's  proclamation  No.  22,  dated  October  31,  1804. 
Statutes,  Volume  13,  jjage  749. 

CoLOit.vDo.— Enabling  act  approved  March  21,  18G4;  Statutes,  volume  13,  page  32. 
Not  yet  admitted. 

NEBii.i.sK v.— Enabling  act  approved  April  19,  1804;  Statutes,  volume  13,  page  47. 
Duly  admitted  into  the  Union.  See  President's  proclamation  No.  9,  dateil  Maich  1, 
1807.    U   S.  Laws  1800  and  1867,  page  4. 

That  portion  of  the  District  of  Columbia  south  of  the  Potomac  river  was  retroceded 
to  Vii-ginia  Julv  9,  181t;.     Statutes,  volume  9,  ))age  35. 

*»*BouNDAHiEs.— Commencing  at  5P4o',  north  latitude,  ascending  Portland  channel 
to  the  mountains,  following  their  summits  to  the  141°  west  longitude;  thence  north, 
on  this  line,  to  the  Arctic  ocean,  farming  the  eastern  bouudary.  Starting  from  the 
Arctic  ocean  west,  the  line  descends  iiehring's  strait,  b«-t\veen  the  two  islands  of 
Krusenstern  and  Uatmanolf,  to  the  parallel  of  6.5'^  30',  and  proceeds  due  north  without 
limitation  into  the  same  Arctic  ocean,  i;  ginning  again  at  the  same  initial  i)oint,  on. 
the  parallel  of  05'^  3J',  thence  in  a  course  southwest  through  Uehring's  strait,  between 
the  island  of  St.  Lawrence  ami  Cape  Choukotski,  to  tin-,  172^  degree  west  longitude: 
and  then(;e  southwesterly  through  Iiehrin,g's  sea,  between  the  i.sland  ol  Attou  ami 
Copper,  to  the  meridian  of  I9:{^  west  longitude;  leaving  the  prolonged  group  of  the 
Aleutian  islands  in  the  possessions  now  transferred  to  the  United  States,  and  m;iking 
the  western  boundary  of  our  country  the  dividing  line  between  Asia  and  America. 

The  above  table  shows  but  a  small  portion  of  the  present 
domain  to  have  been  represented  in  the  first  Congress  of  the 
United  S'ates. 


G6 


CHANGE    OF    NATIONAL    EMPIRE. 


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68  CUANGE    OF    NATIONAL   EMPIRE. 

However  considerable  the  figures  ma}'  be,  the  preceding  table 
ghows  that  one-half  our  vast  domain  is  not  yet  half  surveyed, 
much  less  clothed  with  population,  industry,  wealth,  and  politi- 
cal power.  These  must  come  as  the  result  of  our  national 
growth. 

Since  1860  no  part  of  our  country  has  been  growing  so  fast 
as  that  territorial  portion  which  comprehends  the  mineral 
region ;  and,  with  the  additional  aid  of  the  railway,  the  trade 
beyond  the  Mississippi  has  more  than  doubled  in  ten  years,  and 
in  every  direction  Westward  goes  the  American  citizen  in  search 
of  fame  and  fortune,  and  involuntarily  adding  to  the  greatness 
of  the  nation. 

Everywhere  on  American  soil  or  American  water  is  seen  the 
Titalizing  principle  of  progress,  urgent  alike  in  every  field  of 
industry  and  every  place  of  abode.  Every  new  lesson  of  our 
country  is  of  the  great  West,  and  every  eulogy  of  the  American 
statesman  paints  in  glowing  colors  the  Westward  mai'ch  of 
empire. 

I  have  already  stated  that  the  internal  commerce  of  the 
United  States  was  greater  than  the  external  commerce.  Not 
willing  to  enter  thoroughly  into  the  discussion  of  what  may 
justly  be  termed  the  philosophy  of  the  trade  of  the  country  and 
the  influences  that  localize  it,  and  thereby  create  commercial 
centers,  I  hereby  submit  certain  papers,  by  J.  W.  Scott,  Esq.,  for- 
merly of  Toledo,  Ohio,  which  appeared  in  Hunt's  Merchants'  Mag- 
azine in  1843,  1818,  and  1857.  Mr.  Scott  was  the  editor  of  the 
Toledo  Blade  at  the  time  of  writing  the  articles,  and,  whatever 
else  may  be  said  of  him,  his  articles  show  wonderful  ability  in  the 
discussion  of  the  commercial  and  material  growth  of  the  coun- 
try. And,  although  in  many  respects  he  was  mistaken,  and  the 
country  has  grown  beyond  his  calculations,  still  his  articles  are 
worth  reading,  and  r.ro  superior  to  those  produced  in  any  of  the 
industrial  and  commercial  magazines  of  the  present  time.  He 
first  speaks : 


CHANGE    OF    NATIONAL    EMPIRE.  69 

INTERNAL  TEADE  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

Number  I.  — 1843. 

Almost  up  to  the  pi*esent  time  the  "whole  weight  of  popula- 
tion in  the  United  States  has  lain  along  the  Athmtic  shore,  on 
and  near  its  tide  waters,  and  a  great  proportion  of  their  wealth 
was  connected  with  foreign  commerce,  carried  on  through  their 
seaports.  These  being  at  once  the  centers  of  domestic  and 
foreign  trade,  grew  rapidly,  and  constituted  all  the  large  towns 
of  the  country.  The  inference  was  thence  drawn,  that  as  our 
towns  of  greatest  size  were  connected  with  foreign  commerce, 
this  constituted  the  chief  if  not  the  only  source  of  wealth,  and 
that  large  cities  could  grow  up  nowhere  but  on  the  shores  of 
the  salt  sea.  Such  had  been  the  experience  of  our  people,  and 
the  opinion  founded  on  it  has  been  pertinaciously  adhered  to, 
notwithstanding  the  situation  of  the  country  in  regard  to  trade 
and  commerce  has  essentially  altered.  It  seems  not,  until 
lately,  to  have  entered  the  minds  even  of  well-informed  states- 
men that  the  internal  trade  of  this  country  has  become  far 
more  extensive,  important,  and  profitable,  than  its  foreign  com- 
merce. In  what  ratio  the  former  exceeds  the  latter,  it  is  impos- 
sible to  state  with  exactness.  We  may,  however,  approximate 
the  truth  near  enough  to  illustrate  our  subject. 

The  annual  production  of  Massachusetts  has  been  ascertained 
to  be  of  the  value  of  8100,000,000.  If  the  industry  of  the  whole 
nation  were  equally  productive,  its  yearly  value  would  be  about 
^2,300,000,000;  but,  as  we  know  that  capital  is  not  so  abuud- 
antlv  united  with  labor  in  other  States,  it  would  be  an  over- 
estimate to  make  that  State  a  basis  of  a  calculation  for  the 
whole  country.  $1,500,000,000  is  probably  near  the  actual 
amount  of  our  yearly  earnings.  Of  this,  there  may  be 
§500,000,000  consumed  and  used  where  it  is  earned,  without 
being  exchanged.  The  balance,  being  81,000,000,000,  constitutes 
the  subjects  of  exchange,  and  the  articles  that  make  up  the 
domestic  trade  and  foreign  commerce  of  the  United  States. 
The  value  of  those  which  enter  into  our  foreign  commerce  is, 
on  an  average,  about  8100,000,000.  The  average  domestic  exports 
of  the  years  1841  and  1842  is  899,470,900.  There  will  then 
remain  8900,000,000,  or  nine-tenths,  for  internal  trade.  Sup- 
loosing,  then,  some  of  our  towns  to  be  adapted  only  to  foreign 
commerce,  and  others  as  exclusively  fitted  for  domestic  trade; 
the  latter,  in  our  country,  would  have  nine  times  as  much  busi- 
ness as  the  former,  and  should,  in  consequence,  be  nine  times  as 
large.  Although  we  have  no  great  towns  tliat  do  not,  in  some 
degree,  participate  in  both  foreign  and  domestic  trade,  yet  we 


70  CHANGE    OF    NATIONAL   EMPIRE. 

have  those  whose  situations  particularly  adapt  them  to  one  or 
the  other ;  and  we  wish  it  constantlj^  borne  in  mind  that  an 
adaptation  to  internal  trade,  other  things  being  equal,  is  worth 
nine  times  as  much  to  a  town  as  an  adaptation  in  an  equal 
degree  to  foreign  commmerce.  It  may  be  said,  and  with  truth, 
that  our  great  seaports  have  manifest  advantages  for  domestic 
as  well  as  foreign  commerce.  Since  the  peace  of  Europe  left 
every  nation  free  to  use  its  own  navigation,  the  trade  of  our 
Atlantic  coast  has  probably  been  five  times  greater  than  that 
carried  on  with  foreign  nations  ;  as  the  coasting  tonnage  has 
exceeded  the  foreign,  and  the  number  of  voyages  of  the  former 
can  scarcely  be  less  than  five  to  one  of  the  latter. 

Now,  what  is  the  extent  and  quality  of  that  coast,  compared 
with  the  navigable  river  and  the  coasts  of  the  North  American 
valley  ?  *  From  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Croix  to  Sandy  Hook, 
the  soil,  though  hard  and  comparatively  barren,  is  so  well  culti- 
vated as  to  furnish  no  inconsiderable  amount  of  products  for 
internal  trade.  In  extent,  including  bays,  inlets,  and  both 
shores  and  navigable  rivers,  and  excluding  the  sand  beach  known 
as  Cape  Cod,  this  coast  may  be  estimated  at  900  miles.  From 
Sandy  Hook  to  Norfolk,  including  both  shores  of  Delaware  and 
Chesapeake  bays,  and  their  navigable  inlets,  and  excluding  the 
barren  shore  to  Cape  May,  the  coast  may  be  computed  at  900 
miles  more.  And  from  Norfolk  to  the  Sabine  there  is  a  barren 
coast  of  upwards  of  2,000  miles,  bordered  most  of  the  way  by 
a  sandy  desert  extending  inland  on  an  average  of  80  or  90 
miles.  Over  this  desert  must  be  transported  most  of  the  pro- 
duce and  merchandise,  the  transit  and  exchange  of  which  con- 
stitute the  trade  of  this  part  of  the  coast.  This  barrier  of 
nature  must  lessen  its  trade  at  least  one-half.  It  will  be  a  liberal 
allowance  to  say  that  4,000  miles  of  accessible  coast  are  afiorded 
to  our  vessels  by  the  Atlantic  Ocean  and  Gulf  of  Mexico.  Of 
this,  only  about  2,500  miles,  from  Passamaquoddy  to  St.  Mary's, 
can  be  said  to  have  contributed  much,  until  recently,  to  the 
building  of  our  Atlantic  cities.  To  the  trade  of  this  coast,  then, 
are  we  to  attribute  five-sixths  of  the  growth  and  business, 
previous  to  the  opening  of  the  Erie  canal,  of  Portland,  Salem, 
Boston,  Providence,  New  York,  Albany,  Troy,  Philadelphia, 
Baltimore,  Washington,  Eichmond,  Norfolk,  Charleston,  Savan- 
nah, and  several  other  towns  of  less  importance.  Perhaps  it 
will  be  said  that  foreign  trade  is  more  profitable,  in  proportion 
to  its  amount,  than  domestic.  But  is  this  likely  ?  "Will  not  the 
New  York  merchant  be  as  apt  to  make  a  profitable  bargain  with 
a  Carolinian  as  with  an  Englishman  of  Lancashire  ?  Or,  is  it 
an  advantage  to  trade  to  have  the  wide  obstacle  of  the  Atlantic 

*  This  valley  includes  the  basins  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  Mississippi  and  Mobile  rivers. 


CHANGE    OF    NATIONAL   EMPIRE.  /  1 

in  it8  way?  Do  distance  and  difficulty,  and  risk  and  danger, 
tend  to  promote  commercial  intercourse  and  profitable  trade  ? 
If  so,  the  Alieghanies  are  a  singular  blessing  to  the  commercial 
men  living  on  their  western  slope.  Some  think  that  it  is  the 
foreign  commerce  that  brings  all  the  wealth  to  the  country, 
and  sets  in  motion  most  of  the  domestic  trade.  At  best,  how- 
ever, we  can  only  I'eceive  by  it  imported  values,  in  exchange  for 
values  exported,  and  those  values  must  be  first  created  at  home. 

With  the  exception  of  tobacco,  our  exports  to  foreign  nations 
are  mostly  prime  necessaries  of  life,  siicli  as  minister  in  the 
highest  degree  to  the  comforts  of  the  people  who  use  them. 
Such  are  breadstuff's,  provisions,  and  cotton-wool,  a  material 
from  which  a  great  part  of  the  clothing  of  the  world  is  fabri- 
cated. And  what  do  we  receive  in  exchange  so  calculated  to 
enrich  us  as  a  nation  ?  Among  other  articles  imported  in  1840 
(we  have  not  before  us  a  later  return  from  the  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury)  we  received  tea  and  coffee,  to  the  value  of  (we  give 
round  numbers)  §14,000,000 ;  silks,  and  silk  and  worsted  stuff's, 
near  $10,250,000;  wines  and  spirits,  $3,600,000;  lace,  $500,000; 
tobacco,  manufactured,  $870,000  ;  in  all,  near  $30,000,000  out  of 
an  import  of  $107,000,000.  The  dealing  in  these  articles  may 
have  a  tendency  to  enrich,  but  surely  neither  those  that  con- 
sume, nor  those  whose  labor  buys,  the  articles  above  specified, 
are  enriched.  Indeed,  if  the  $300,000,000  of  food  and  materials 
for  clothing,  which  are  sent  abroad  to  pay  for  such  poisons  and 
luxuries,  are  not  wholly  lost  b}^  being  so  exchanged,  it  will  be 
admitted  that  we  are  not  greatly  enriched  by  the  exchange. 
Let  us  not  be  understood  as  desirous  of  undeiwaluing  foreign 
trade.  We  hope  and  believe  that  its  greatest  blessings  and 
triumphs  are  yet  to  come.  Many  of  the  articles  which  it  brings 
to  us  add  much  to  our  substantial  comfort,  such  as  woolen  and 
cotton  goods,  sugar  and  molasses;  and  others,  such  as  iron  and 
steel,  with  most  of  their  manufactures,  give  much  aid  to  our 
advancing  arts.  But  if  these  articles  were  the  products  of 
domestic  industry' — if  they  were  produced  in  the  factories  of 
Lowell  and  Da^'ton,  on  the  plantations  of  Louisiana,  and  in  the 
furnaces,  forges,  and  workshops  of  Pennsj'lvania  —  why  would 
not  the  dealing  in  them  have  the  same  tendency  to  enrich  as 
now  that  they  are  brought  from  distant  countries  ? 

A  disposition  to  atti'ibute  the  rapid  increase  of  wealth  in  com- 
mercial nations  mainlj'  to  foreign  commerce,  is  not  peculiar  to 
our  nation  or  our  time;  for  we  find  it  combated  as  a  popular 
error  by  distinguished  writers  on  political  economy.  Mr.  Hume, 
in  his  Essay  on  Commerce,  maintains  that  the  only  way  in  which 
foreign  commerce  tends  to  enrich  a  country  is  by  its  presenting 
tempting  articles  of  luxury,  and  thereby  stimulating  the  industry 


72  CHANGE    OF    NATIONAL   EMPIRE, 

of  lho?c  in  whom  a  desire  to  purchase  is  thus  excited;  the  aug- 
mented industry  of  the  nation  heing  the  onl}'  gain. 

Dr.  Chalmers  says:  "Foreign  trade  is  not  the  creator  of 
any  economic  interest ;  it  is  but  the  officiating  minister  of  our 
enjoyments.  Shouhl  we  consent  to  forego  those  enjoyments, 
then,  at  the  bidding  of  our  will,  the  whole  strength  at  present 
embai'ked  in  the  service  of  procuring  them  would  be  transferred 
to  other  services,  to  the  extension  of  the  home  trade;  to  the 
enlargement  of  our  national  establishments ;  to  the  service  of 
defense,  or  conquest,  or  scientific  research,  or  Christian  philan- 
thropy." Speaking  of  the  foolish  purpose  in  Bonaparte  to 
cripple  Britain  by  destroying  her  foreign  trade,  and  its  utter 
failure,  he  says :  "The  truth  is  that  the  extinction  of  foreign 
trade  in  one  quarter  was  almost  immediately  followed  up  either 
by  the  extension  of  it  in  another  quarter,  or  by  the  extension  of 
the  home  trade.  Even  had  every  outlet  abroad  been  obstructed, 
then,  instead  of  a  transference  from  one  foi-eign  market  to 
another,  there  would  just  be  a  universal  reflux  towards  a  home 
market  that  would  be  extended  in  precise  proportion  with 
every  successive  abridgment  which  took  place  in  our  external 
commerce."  If  these  principles  are  true,  and  we  believe  they 
are  in  accordance  with  those  of  every  eminent  writer  on  politi- 
cal economy,  and  if  they  are  important  in  their  application  to 
the  British  isles — small  in  territory  —  with  extensive  districts 
of  barren  land  —  surrounded  by  navigable  waters  —  rich  in 
good  harhors,  and  presenting  numerous  natural  obstacles  to 
constructions  for  the  promotion  of  internal  commerce;  and, 
moreover,  placed  at  the  door  of  the  richest  nations  of  the  world — 
with  how  much  greater  force  do  they  applj'  to  our  country, 
having  a  territory  twenty  times  as  large,  unrivaled  natural 
means  of  intercommunication,  with  few  obstacles  to  their 
indefinite  multiplication  by  the  hand  of  man;  a  fertility  of  soil 
not  equaled  by  the  whole  world;  growing  within  its  boundaries 
nearly  all  the  productions  of  all  the  climes  of  the  earth,  and 
situated  3,000  miles  from  her  nearest  commercial  neighbor. 

Will  it  he  said  that,  admitting  the  chief  agency  in  building  up 
great  cities  to  belong  to  internal  industry  and  trade,  it  remains 
to  be  proved  that  New  York  and  the  other  great  Atlantic  cities 
will  feel  less  of  the  beneficial  effects  of  this  agency  than  Cincin- 
nati and  her  Western  sisters  ?  It  does  not  appear  to  us  difficult 
to  sustain  by  facts  and  reasoniRg  the  superior  claims  in  this 
respect  of  our  Western  towns.  It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that 
the  North  American  Yalley  embraces  the  climate,  soils,  and 
minerals,  usually  found  distributed  among  many  nations.  From 
the  northern  shores  of  the  upper  lakes,  and  the  highest  navigable 
points   of  the  Mississippi  and  Missouri  rivers,  to  the    Gulf  of 


CHANGE   OF    NATIONAL   EMPIRE.  73 

Mexico,  nearly  all  the  agricultural  articles  which  contribute  to 
the  enjoyment  of  civilized  man  are  now,  or  may  be,  produced 
in  profusion.  The  North  will  send  to  the  South  grain,  flour, 
provisions,  including  the  delicate  lish  of  the  lakes,  and  the  fruits 
of  a  temperate  clime,  in  exchange  for  the  sugar,  rice,  cotton, 
tobacco,  and  the  fruits  of  the  warm  South.  These  are  but  a  favr 
of  the  articles,  the  produce  of  the  soil,  which  M'ill  be  the  subjects 
of  commerce  in  this  valley.  Of  mineral  productions,  which, 
at  no  distant  day,  will  tend  to  swell  the  tide  of  internal  com- 
merce, it  will  suffice  to  mention  coal,  iron,  salt,  lead,  lime,  and 
marble.  "Will  Boston,  or  New  York,  or  Baltimore,  or  New 
Orleans,  be  the  point  selected  for  the  interchange  of  these  pro- 
ducts ?  Or,  shall  we  choose  some  convenient  central  points  on 
river  and  lake  for  the  theaters  of  these  exchanges?  Some  per- 
sons may  bo  found,  perhaps,  who  will  claim  this  for  New 
Orleans  ;  but  the  experience  of  the  past,  more  than  the  reason 
of  tiie  thing,  will  not  bear  them  out.  Cincinnati  has  now  more 
white  inhabitants  than  that  outport,  although  her  first  street 
was  laid  out,  and  her  first  log  house  raised,  long  after  New 
Orleatis  had  been  known  as  an  important  place  of  trade,  and 
had  already  become  a  considerable  cit3\ 

It  is  imagined  by  some  that  the  destiny  of  this  valley  has 
fixed  it  down  to  the  almost  exclusive  pursuit  of  agriculture, 
ignorant  that,  as  a  general  rule  in  all  ages  of  the  world,  and  in 
all  countries,  the  mouths  go  to  the  food,  and  not  the  food  to  the 
mouths.  Dr.  Chalmers  says:  "The  bulkiness  of  fuod  forms 
one  of  those  forces  in  the  economic  machine  which  tend  to 
equalize  the  population  of  ever}'  land  with  the  products  of  its 
own  agriculture.  It  does  not  restraiii  disproportion  and  excess 
in  all  cases ;  but  in  every  large  State  it  will  be  found  that 
wherever  an  excess  obtains,  it  forms  but  a  very  small  fraction 
of  the  whole  population.  Each  trade  must  have  an  agricultural 
basis  to  rest  upon ;  for  in  every  process  of  industry,  the  first 
and  greatest  necessity  is,  that  the  Avorkmen  shall  be  fed."  Again  : 
"Generally  speaking,  the  excrescent  (the  population  over  and 
above  that  which  the  country  can  feed)  bears  a  very  minute 
proportion  to  the  natural  population  of  the  country  ;  and  almost 
nowhere  does  the  commerce  of  a  nation  overleap,  but  by  a  very 
little  way,  the  basis  of  its  own  agriculture."  The  Atlantic 
States,  and  particularly  those  of  New  England,  claim  that  they 
are  to  become  the  seats  of  the  manufactures  with  which  the 
West  is  to  be  supplied ;  that  mechanics,  and  artisans,  and  manu- 
facturers, are  not  to  select  for  their  place  of  business  the  region 
in  which  the  means  of  living  are  most  abundant  and  their 
manufactured  articles  in  greatest  demand,  but  the  section  whi'h 
is  most  deficient  in  those  means,  and  to  which  their  food  and 
fuel  must,  during  their  lives,  be  transported  hundreds  of  miles 
6 


74  CHANGE    OF   NATIONAL   EMPIRE. 

and  the  products  of  their  labor  be  sent  back  the  same  long  road 
for  a  market. 

But  this  claim  is  neither  sanctioned  by  reason,  authorit}-,  nor 
experience.  The  mere  statement  exhibits  it  as  unreasonable. 
Dr.  Chalmers  maintains  that  the  "excrescent"  population  could 
not,  in  Britain  even,  with  a  free  trade  in  breadstuff's,  exceed 
one-te'nth  of  all  the  inhabitants  j  and  Britain,  be  it  remembered, 
is  nearer  the  granaries  of  the  Baltic  than  is  New  England  to 
the  food-exporting  portions  of  our  vallej,  and  she  has,  also, 
greatly  the  advantage  in  the  diminished  expense  of  transporta- 
tion. But  the  Eastern  manufacturing  States  have  already 
nearly,  if  not  quite,  attained  to  the  maximum  ratio  of  excres- 
cent population,  and  cannot,  therefore,  greatly  augment  their 
manufactures  without  a  correspondent  increase  in  agricultural 
production. 

Most  countries,  distinguished  for  manufactures,  have  laid  the 
foundation  in  a  highly  improved  agriculture.  England,  the  north 
of  France,  and  Belgium,  have  a  more  productive  husbandry  than 
any  other  region  of  the  same  extent.  In  these  same  countries 
are  also  to  be  found  the  most  efficient  and  extensive  manufac- 
turing establishments  of  the  whole  world ;  and  it  is  not  to  be 
doubted  that  abundance  of  food  was  one  of  the  chief  causes  of 
setting  them  in  motion.  How  is  it  that  a  like  cause  operating 
here  will  not  produce  a  like  effect  ?  Have  we  not,  in  addition 
to  our  prolific  agriculture,  as  many  and  as  great  natural  aids  for 
manufacturing  as  any  other  countrj^  ?  Are  we  deficient  in 
water-power?  Look  at  Niagara  river,  where  all  the  accumu- 
lated waters  of  the  upper  St.  Lawrence  basin  fall  three  hundred 
and  thirty-five  feet  in  the  distance  of  a  few  miles.  Ohio,  or 
Kentucky,  or  Western  Virginia,  or  Michigan,  can  alone  furnish 
durable  water-power,  far  more  than  sufiScint  to  operate  every 
machine  in  New  England.  The  former  State  has  now  for  sale 
on  her  canals  more  water-power  than  would  be  needed  for  the 
moving  of  all  the  factories  of  New  England  and  New  York. 
Indeed,  no  idea  of  our  Eastern  friends  is  more  preposterous  than 
the  one  so  hugged  by  them,  that  they  of  all  the  people  of  the 
Union  are  peculiarly  favored  with  available  water-power.  We 
remember  reading  in  the  North  American  JReview,  many  years 
ago,  in  an  article  devoted  to  the  water-power,  and  its  appropria- 
tion in  the  neighborhood  of  Baltimore,  that  southwardly  from 
that  city  the  Atlantic  States  were  destitute  of  water-power; 
when  every  well-informed  man  should  know  that  there  is 
not  one  of  those  States  in  which  its  largest  river  would  not 
furnish  more  than  power  sufficient  to  manufacture  every  pound 
of  cotton  raised  within  its  boundaries.  The  streams  of  New 
England  are  short  and  noisy,  not  an  unfit  emblem  of  her  manu- 
facturing pretensions  and  destiny. 


CHANGE    OF   NATIONAL   EMPIRE.  75 

But  if  our  water-power  should  be  unequal  to  our  manufactur- 
ing exigencies,  our  beds  of  coal  will  not  fail  us.  One  of  these 
coal  formations,  having  its  center  not  very  far  from  Marietta, 
is  estimated  by  Mr.  Mather,  geologist,  to  be  of  the  extent  of 
50,000  square  miles.  He  says  that  in  several  of  the  counties  of 
Ohio  the  beds  of  workable  coal  are  from  20  to  30  feet  thick. 
Another  coal  formation  embraces  the  Wabash  Yalley  of  Indiana, 
and  the  Green  river  country  of  Kentucky.  "We  know  also  of 
its  existence  in  abundance  at  Ottaw^a  and  Alton,  in  the  State  of 
Illinois,  and  suppose  they  are  in  the  same  coal  basin.  Another 
coal  basin  has  been  discovered  in  Michigan,  and  a  fifth  on  the 
Arkansas  river.  In  some  of  these  coal  regions,  and  probably  in 
all,  beds  of  iron  ore  and  other  valuable  minerals  for  manufacture 
are  abundant. 

"Will  laborers  be  wanting?  Where  food  is  abundant  and 
cheap,  there  cannot  long  be  a  deficiency  of  laborers.  What 
brought  our  ancestors  (with  the  exception  of  a  few  who  fled 
from  persecution)  from  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic,  but  the 
greater  abundance  of  the  means  of  subsistence  on  this  side  ? 
What  other  cause  has  so  strongly  operated  in  bringing  to  our 
valley  the  10,000,000  or  11,000,000  who  now  inhabit  it?  The 
cause  continuing,  will  the  eft'ect  cease?  While  land  of  unsur- 
passed fertility  remains  to  be  purchased,  at  a  low  rate,  and  the 
increase  of  agriculture  in  the  West  keeps  down  the  relative 
price  of  food ;  and  while  the  population  of  the  old  countries  of 
Europe  and  the  old  States  of  our  confederacy  is  so  augmenting 
as  to  straiten  more  and  more  the  means  of  living  at  home, 
and  at  the  same  time  the  means  of  removing  from  one  to  the 
other  are  every  year  rendering  it  cheaper,  easier,  and  more 
speedy;  and  while,  moreover,  the  new  States,  in  addition  to  the 
inducement  of  cheaper  food,  now"  offer  a  country  with  facilities 
of  intercourse  among  themselves  greatly  improved,  and  with 
institutions,  civil,  political,  and  religious,  already  established 
and  flourishing  —  are  farmers,  and  mechanics,  and  manufac- 
turers—  the  young,  the  active,  and  the  enterprising  —  no  longer 
to  be  seen  pouring  into  this  exuberant  valley  and  marking  it 
with  the  impress  of  their  victorious  industry,  as  in  times  past? 

If  our  readers  are  satisfied  that  domestic  or  internal  trade 
must  have  the  chief  agency  in  building  up  our  great  American 
cities,  and  that  the  internal  trade  of  the  great  Western  valley 
will  be  mainly  concentrated  in  the  cities  situated  within  its 
bosom,  it  becomes  an  interesting  subject  of  inquirj^  how  our 
leading  interior  city  will,  at  some  distant  period,  say  100  years, 
compare  with  New  York,  the  Atlantic  emporium.  For  the 
purpose  of  illustration,  let  us  take  Cincinnati  as  the  chief  inte- 
rior city.  Whether  it  will  actually  become  such,  w©  design  to 
discuss  in  a  separate  paper. 


76  CQANGE    OF    NATIONAL   EMPIRE. 

One  hundred  years  from  this  time,  if  our  ratio  of  increape  for 
the  last  50  years  is  kept  up,  our  Republic  will  number,  in  round 
numbers,  325,000,000— say  300,000  000.  Of  this  number,  if  we 
allow  for  the  Atlantic  slope  five  times  its  present  population,  or 
40,000,000,  and  to  the  Oregon  country  10,000,000,  there  will 
remain  for  our  great  valley  250,00",0f'0.  If  to  these  we  add 
the  20,000,000  by  that  time  possessed  by  Canada,  we  have,  for 
our  North  American  valley,  270,000,000.  The  point,  then,  will 
bo  reduced  to  the  plain  and  easilj'  solved  question,  whether 
270,000,000  of  inhabitants  will  build  up  and  sustain  greater  cities 
than  40,000,0'*0.  As  our  valley  is  in  shape  more  compact  than 
the  Atlantic  slope,  it  is  more  fiivorablo  to  a  decided  concentra- 
tion ol  trade  to  one  point.  Whether  that  point  is  most  likely 
to  be  Cincinnati,  or  some  rival  on  the  lake  border,  we  propose 
hereafter  to  consider. 

Let  us  now  see  what  facilities  for  internal  commerce  nature 
has  bestowed  on  the  West.  It  will  not  be  denied  that,  for  inter- 
nal trade,  the  country  bordering  the  Ohio,  Mississippi,  and  other 
rivers  admitting  steam  navigation,  are  at  least  as  well  situated 
as  if  laved  by  the  waters  of  an  ocean.  Cincinnati  being  at 
present  the  leading  city  of  our  valley,  we  propose  to  connect  it 
particularly  with  our  argument,  not  doubting  that  other  and 
many  great  towns  will  grow  up  on  the  Western  waters.  From 
Pittsburgh  to  Cincinnati,  both  shores  of  the  Ohio  amount  to 
more  than  900  miles.  From  Cincinnati  to  New  Orleans,  there 
is  a  river  coast  of  3,000  miles  The  upper  Mississippi  has  1,600 
miles  of  fertile  shore.  The  shores  of  that  part  of  the  Missouri 
which  has  been  navigated  by  steamboats  amount  to  near 
4,000  miles.  The  Arkansas,  Eed,  Illinois,  Wabash,  Tennessee, 
Cumberland,  St.  Francis,  Wh^te,  Ouachita,  have  au  extent  of 
shore,  accessible  to  steamers,  of  not  less  than  8,000  miles. 

Here,  then,  are  fertile  shores,  to  the  extent  of  near  20,000 
miles,  which  can  be  visited  by  steam-vessels  a  considerable  part 
of  the  year.  Taking  these  streams  together,  the}'  probably  atford 
facilities  for  trade  nearly  equal  in  value  to  the  same  number  of 
miles  of  common  canals.  Who,  then,  can  doubt  that  in  the  midst 
of  such  facilities  for  trade  large  cities  must  grow  up,  and  Avith  a 
rapidity  having  no  example  on  the  Atlantic  coast.  The  growth 
of  Cincinnati,  Pittsburgh,  Louisville,  and  St.  Louis,  since  1825, 
gives  us  abundant  assurances  on  this  point. 

But  our  interior  cities  will  not  depend  for  their  development 
altogether  on  internal  trade.  They  will  partake,  in  some 
degree,  with  their  Atlantic  sisters,  of  the  foreign  commerce, 
also ;  and  if,  as  some  seem  to  suppose,  the  profits  of  commerce 
increase  with  the  distance  at  whiuh  it  is  carried  on,  and  the 
difficulties  which  nature  has  thrown  in  its  way,  the  Western 
towns  will  have  the  same  advantage  over  their  Eastern  rivals  in 


CHANGE  OP  NATIONAL  EMPIRE. 


77 


foreign  commerce,  which  some  claim  for  the  latter  over  tho 
former  in  our  domestic  trade.  Cincinnati  and  her  lake  rivals 
may  use  the  outports  of  >sew  Orleans  and  New  York,  as  Paris 
and  Vienna  use  those  of  Ilavre  and  Trieste  ;  and  it  will  surely 
one  day  come  to  pass  that  steamers  from  Europe  will  enter  our 
great  lakes,  and  be  seen  booming  up  the  Mississippi. 

To  add  strength  and  conclusiveness  to  the  above  facts  and 
deductions,  do  our  readers  ask  for  examples?  They  are  at  hand. 
The  first  fity  of  which  we  have  any  record  is  Nineveh,  situated 
on  the  Tigris,  not  less  than  700  miles  from  its  mouth.  Baby- 
lon, built  not  long  after,  was  also  situated  fixr  in  the  interioi',  on 
the  river  Euphrates.  Most  of  the  great  cities  of  antiquity,  some 
of  which  were  of  immense  extent,  wei-e  situated  in  the  interior, 
and  chiefly  in  the  vallies  of  large  rivers,  meandering  through 
rich  aUuvial  territories.  Such  were  Thebes,  Memphis,  Ptole- 
mais.  Of  the  cities  now  known  as  leading  centers  of  commerce, 
a  large  majority  have  been  built  almost  exclusively  by  domestic 
trade.  VVhat  counliy  has  so  many  great  cities  as  China,  a 
countr}',  until  lately,  nearly  destitute  of  foreign  commei'ce? 

To  bring  the  comparison  home  to  our  readers,  we  have  put 
down,  side  by  side,  the  outports  and  interior  towns  of  the  world 
having  each  a  population  of  50,000  and  upwards.  It  should, 
however,  be  kept  in  mind  that  many  of  the  great  seaports  have 
been  built,  and  are  now  sustained,  mainly  by  the  trade  of  the 
nations  respectively  in  which  they  are  situated.  Even  London, 
the  greatest  mart  in  the  world,  is  believed  to  derive  much  tho 
gieatest  part  of  the  support  of  its  vast  population  from  its 
trade  with  the  United  Kingdom. 


OUTPORTS. 

Population. 
London 2.000,000 

Ji-d.io  (?) i,;!no,ooo 

Calcutta GoO,000 

Cons'tinoplt'..  (J0C>.0(K) 

St.refsburgh  500.000 

C;i!iton  (?) 500. 0(M) 

Madras 4r.0.000 

Naples ;^r)0.000 

Dublin oiiO.OOO 

New   York..  •  :)20,000 

Lisbon i'.O.OUO 

Glasnrow 2^0,000 

Liverpool 2r)0.000 

PhilaiU-lphia..  250. 000 

Kio  .JaiiiMro...  200. OOU 

Amstcnlam  ...  200. 0(K) 

Bombay 200,000 

Palermo 170.000 

Surut 100,000 


INTERIOR  CITIES. 

Population 

Pekin 1,300,000 

Paris 1.000. 000 

P.onares ()Olt,000 

Han«r-tcheon..    6O0,0CiO 

Su-tclieou GOO.OOO 

Macao 50'',0(HJ 

Nankin 500,000 

Kinof-tchin  ....     500  000 
Wo'o-tchant]:...     400,000 

Vienna 370,000 

Cairo 350,000 

Patna .320,000 

Nan -tciian  <,'...     300.000 

Kliai-fui)«r 300,000 

Fu  tcliu 300,000 

Liickiiow 300,000 

.Moscow 300,000 

Berlin 300.000 

Manchester....     250,000 


INTERIOR  CITIES. 

Population. 

Florence 80,000 

Uallipolis 80,000 

Bucharest 80,000 

Munich 80  000 

Granada 80,000 

Ghent 8'.i.(t(iO 

La.s.sa 80,000 

Cologne 7.5.000 

Morocco 75,000 

Ferruckabad...  70,000 

Peshawen 70.000 

Quito 70,000 

Barreillv 70,000 

Guadahixara....  70,000 

Koenijfsburg..  70,000 

Tur<ran 70  000 

Salonica 70  000 

Bolo<rna 70,000 

Bornaserai 70,OtO 


78 


CHANGE    OF    NATIONAL   EMPIRE. 


OUXrORTS. 

Population . 

Manilla 140,000 

Hamburg 130,000 

Bristol 120,000 

Havana 160,000 

Marseilles 130.000 

Barcelona 120,000 

Copenhagen...  120.000 

Smyrna 120,000 

St.  Salvador...  120,000 

Cork 120,000 

Brussels 120,000 

Bordeaux 100,000 

Venice 100,000 

Baltimore 100,000 

New  Orleans..  100,000 

Boston 100.000 

Tunis 100,000 

Nantes 100, OiO 

Hue 100.000 

Bankok 90.000 

Seville 90.000 

Galiipoli 80,000 

Genoa 80,000 

Stockliolm 80,000 

Newcastle......  80,000 

Massalipatan..  75,000 

Pernambuco..  75.000 

Lima 75.000 

Greenwich 75 ,  000 

Aberdeen 70.000 

Antwerp 70,000 

Limerick 70.000 

Valentia G5,000 

Rotterdam 65,000 

Lefrhorn Go.  000 

Dantzic 05,000 

Batavia 00.000 

Cadiz 55,000 

Hull  55,000 

Belfast 55.000 

Portsmouth...  55,000 

Trieste 55,000 

Malaga 52,000 

N.Guatimala..  50,000 

Muscat 50.000 

Algiers 50.000 

Columbo 50.000 

Odessa 50,000 


INTERIOR  CITIES. 

Population. 

Birmingham  ..  230,000 

Lyons 200.000 

Madrid 200,000 

Delhi 200,000 

Aleppo 200,000 

Mirzapore 200.000 

Hyderbad 200,000 

Dacca 200,000 

Ispahan  200,000 

Yo-tchu 200,000 

Suen-tehu 200,000 

Huen-tchu 200,000 

iVlexico 200,0li0 

Leeds 180,000 

Lyons 180,000 

Moorshedabad  160,000 

Milan.... 100.000 

Damascus 150,000 

Ca.shmere 1.50,000 

Kome 150,000 

Edinburgh 1.50.000 

Teheran 130,OnO 

Turin 120,000 

Prague 120.000 

Warsaw 120.000 

Shellidd 120,000 

Bagdad 100,000 

Brussa 100.000 

Tocat 100,000 

Erzeroum inO,000 

Poonah 100,000 

Nagpore 300,000 

Ahmedabad...  100,000 

Lahore 100,0  0 

Baroda 100,000 

Orogein 100.000 

Candabar 300,(ifiO 

Balfrush 100,000 

Herat ]00,0i)0 

Saigon 100,000 

Breslau 100,000 

Adrianople....  lOO.oOO 

Kesho 100,0(0 

Rouen lO'i.OOO 

Toulouse 90,000 

Indore 90,000 

Wolverh-pton  90,0i'0 

Paisley 90.000 

Jackatoo 80.000 

Tauris 80,000 

Bucharia 80,000 

Gwalllor 80,000 


intp:riok  cities. 

Population. 

Dresden  70  000 

Lille 70,000 

Norwich 70,000 

Perth 70,000 

Santiago 00,000 

Wilna 60,000 

Cabul 60,000 

Khokhan GO.OOO 

Samarcand  ....  00,000 

Pvesht 60  000 

Casween 00,000 

Diarbekir 60,000 

Karahissar 00,000 

Mosul G0,000 

Bas.^ora GO,  000 

Mecca G0,000 

Mequirez G0,000 

Bungalore GO.OOO 

Bardwan 60,000 

Aurangabad...  60,000 

Nottingham...  60,000 

Oldham 60,000 

Cordova 57,000 

Verona 56.000 

Padua 55,000 

Frankfort 54,000 

Liege 54,000 

Lemberg 52.000 

Stoke 52,000 

Kazar 50,000 

Salford 50,0U0 

Strasburg 50,000 

Amiens 50,000 

Kutaiah 50,000 

Trebizond 50,000 

Orfa 50,000 

Taric^a ,50,000 

Cuzco 50,0  0 

Puebla 50,000 

Metz 50,0(0 

Hague 50,0C0 

Hath 50,000 

Constantina ...  50.000 

Cairwan 50,000 

Gondar 50,000 

Ava 50,000 

Rampore .50,000 

Mysore 5(i,000 

Biirdwar 50,000 

15oli 50,000 

Hamah 50,000 

Cincinnati 50,000 


CHANGE   OF    NATIONAL   EMPIRE.  7J> 

If  it  be  said  that  the  discoveries  of  the  polarit}'  of  the  mag- 
netic needle,  tlie  continent  of  America,  and  a  water  passage  to 
India,  around  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  have  changed  the  char- 
acter of  foreign  commerce,  and  greatl}^  augmented  the  advan- 
tages of  the  cities  engaged  in  it,  it  may  be  replied  that  the 
inti'oduction  of  steam  in  coast  and  river  navigation,  and  of 
canals,  and  railroads,  and  McAdam  roads,  all  tending  to  bring 
into  rapid  and  cheap  communication  the  distant  parts  of  the 
most  extended  continent,  is  a  still  more  potent  cause  in  favor  of 
internal  trade  and  interior  towns.  The  introduction,  as  instru- 
ments of  commerce,  of  steamboats,  canals,  rail,  and  McAdam 
roads,  being  of  recent  date,  thej"  have  not  had  time  to  produce 
the  great  results  that  must  inevitablj'flow  from  them.  The  last 
20  years  have  been  devoted  mainl}-  to  the  construction  of  these 
labor-saving  instruments  of  commerce;  during  which  time  more 
has  been  done  to  focilitate  internal  trade  than  had  been  effected 
for  the  thou'^ands  of  years  since  the  creation  of  man  These 
machines  are  but  just  being  brought  into  use;  and  he  is  a  bold 
man  who,  casting  his  eye  100  3'ears  into  the  future,  shall 
undertake  to  tell  the  pres^ent  generation  what  will  bo  their  effect 
on  our  North  American  valley  when  their  energies  shall  be 
brought  to  bear  over  all  its.  broad  surface. 

Let  it  not  be  forgotten  that,  while  many  other  countries  have 
territories  bordering  the  ocean,  greatly  superior  to  our  Atlantic 
slope,  no  one  government  lias  an  interior  at  all  worthy  a  com- 
l^arison  wiih  ours.  It  will  be  observed  that,  in  speaking  of  the 
natural  facilities  for  trade  in  the  North  American  valley,  we  have 
left  out  of  view  the  4,000  or  5,000  miles  of  rich  and  accessible 
coasts  of  our  great  lakes  and  their  connecting  straits.  The 
trade  of  these  inland  seas,  and  its  connection  vrith  that  of  the 
Mississippi  Yallc}^,  are  subjects  too  important  to  be  treated  inci- 
dentally in  an  article  of  so  general  a  nature  as  this.  Thej 
Avell  merit  a  separate  notice  at  our  hand:^. 


Number  II.— 1S43. 

Providence  ha-^  evidently  designed  the  tempei'ate  regions  of 
the  interior  of  North  America  lor  the  residence  of  a  dense 
population  of  highly  civilized  men.  Throughout  its  southern 
and  middle  regions,  which  are  elevated  but  a  few  hundred  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  Gulf  of  j\[exico,  the  deflected  trade  wind 
bears  from  that  sea  the  vapors  which,  falling  in  showers,  give 
fertility  to  the  soil,  and  swell  to  navigable  size  their  numerous 
and  almost  interminable  rivers.  Towards  the  North  he  has 
spi'ead  out,  and  connected   by  navigable  straits,  great  seas  of 


80  CHANGE    OF    NATIONAL   EMPIRE, 

pure  water,  to  equalize  and  soften  the  temperature  of  that  com- 
puratively  high  latituue,  and  to  aid  in  irrigating  the  surrounding 
countries.  And  he  has  so  placed  these  seas  as  to  give  them 
the  utmost  availability^  for  purposes  of  trade ;  for,  while  they 
reach  to  the  highest  latitude  to  which  profitable  cultivation  can 
be  carried,  they  stretch  away  South  almost  to  the  ver}^  heart  of 
the  great  valle3\  Towards  the  East  they  approach  the  Atlantic, 
and  extend  Westward  towards  the  Pacific,  more  than  a  third 
of  the  distance  across  the  continent.  To  give  the  lake  and 
river  countries  easy  access  to  each  other,  he  has  placed  them 
nearly  on  the  same  level,  and  strongly  pointed  out,  and,  indeed, 
in  some  places,  almost  finished,  the  great  channels  of  intercourse 
between  them.  To  invite  and  facilitate  migration  from  Europe 
and  the  old  States,  he  has  provided  the  St.  Lawrence  and  Missis- 
sippi rivers,  and  cut  a  passage  through  the  Appalachian  chain, 
where  flow  the  turbulent  Mohawk  and  the  majestic  Hudson. 
His  munificence  ends  not  here.  He  has  diversified  its  surface 
with  hills,  vales,  and  plains,  and  clothed  them  alternately  with 
fine  groves  of  timber  and  beautiful  meadows  of  grass  and 
flowers.  Beneath  the  soil,  the  minerals  of  nearly  every  geo- 
logical era,  and  of  every  kind  which  has  been  made  tributary 
to  man's  comfort  and  civilization,  are  properly  distributed.  On 
the  north,  the  waters  of  the  great  lakes  begin  their  expansion 
in  a  region  of  primitive  formation.  Descending  thence  by  the 
river  St.  Mary's  into,  and  expanding  over,  a  portion  of  that 
great  transition  limestone  bed  which  forms  the  basis  of  the 
richest  soil  of  the  country,  and  after  entering,  by  their  southern- 
most reach,  the  coal  measures  of  northern  Ohio,  they  are  pre- 
cipitated over  the  eastern  margin  of  this  great  limestone  basin 
at  Niagai-a.  A  few  miles  distant  they  again  spread  out,  330 
feet  below,  in  a  region  of  salt-bearing  sandstone  and  shales,  and 
finally  pass  off  to  the  ocean  through  a  primitive  countr3%  Thus 
a  great  variety  of  minerals,  useful  to  man,  are  placed  where 
transportation  and  exchange  are  easy  and  cheap.  Kor,  in  this 
connection,  should  be  overlooked,  among  the  muliiplied  evi- 
dences of  Providential  bounties  to  this  favored  region,  the 
immense  power  to  move  machinery  laid  up  for  us  at  the  outlet 
of  Lake  Erie.  Here  is  a  head  of  330  feet,  with  an  inexhaustible 
supply  of  pure  water,  easily  and  cheaply  brought  under  control, 
in  a  healthy  and  pleasant  country,  and  at  the  door  of  the  great 
West.  Nor  should  we  omit  to  mention  the  harbors  for  the  ship- 
ping, which  abound  in  the  primitive  shores  to  the  North,  and 
which  are  also  found  at  the  mouths  of  all  large  streams  of  the 
transition  and  secondary  region  below. 

Such  is  the  broad  patrimony  which  we  are  invited  to  enter 
upon  and  improve.  Our  people  have  begun  to  enter  into  posses- 
iion.      Along  the  line  of  the  5,000  or  0,000  miles  of  habitable 


CnANQE   OF   NATIONAL   EMPIRE.  81 

shore  which  is  offered  to  the  mariner  of  these  hikes,  he  may  now 
and  then  see  a  cluster  of  houses,  a  nascent  city;  and  anon  ho 
may  espy  small  indentations  of  their  forest  borders,  where 
farmers  have  begun  to  hew  their  way  to  independence.  The 
southern  shore  of  Lake  Erie,  and  both  shores  of  Ontario,  are  so 
far  advanced  in  settlement  that  it  is  easy  to  anticipate  the 
speedy  triumph  of  the  art  and  industry  of  man.  Alread}',  in 
many  places,  he  has  achieved  his  victory  ;  for  his  farms  and 
villages  have  nearly  driven  his  forest  enemy  from  his  sight. 
Here  he  has  alreadj^  built  himself  spacious  barns  and  comfort- 
able dwellings.  lie  has  also  made  roads  on  which  to  carry  the 
produce  of  his  industry  to  market.  More  than  this  :  he  has 
built  towns,  canals,  and  railroads,  constructed  and  improved 
numerous  harbors,  and  created  a  commercial  marine  that,  three 
centuries  ago,  would  have  been  a  source  of  pride  if  possessed 
by  the  greatest  maritime  power  in  Europe. 

In  anticipation  of  the  early  settlement  of  the  fine  country 
bordering  these  waters,  and  its  capacity  to  furnish  the  basis  of 
a  large  commerce,  the  Erie  Canal  was  projected  and  opened. 
But  its  banks  had  hardly  become  solid,  its  business  been  got 
into  train  and  reduced  to  system,  before  the  discovery  was  made 
that  its  capacity  M'ould  little  more  than  suffice  for  the  business 
of  the  country  through  which  it  runs,  and,  of  course,  that  it 
would  soon  be  inadequate  to  the  passage  of  the  trade  then  just 
springing  up,  with  imlicalions  of  a  vigorous  growth,  on  the 
upper  lakes.  Wild  as  were  thought  the  virions  of  Morris  and 
Ciiiiton  by  the  strictly  practical  men  of  their  day,  it  turns  out 
that  what  were  considerc^d  visions  were  but  practical  deductions, 
falling  short  of  the  truth  instead  of  exceeding  it.  Ten  years 
after  the  chimerical  giand  canal  was  completed,  men,  having 
the  reputation  of  being  eminently  practical,  thought  they  saw 
the  necessity  of  making  it  about  three  times  as  large,  and  forth- 
with entered  upon  such  enlargement.  Practical  men  in  other 
States  have  believed,  perhaps  prematurel}-,  that  such  portion  of 
the  lake  trade  as  the}'  could  divert  from  this  New  York  route 
would  pay  them  for  the  outlay  of  so  man}'  millions  as  will  be 
necessary  to  construct  two  more  canals,  and  the  same  number 
of  railroads,  from  the  Alantic  to  the  lake  waters.  iS'ot  only  are 
cities  and  States  entering  upon  a  competition  for  this  trade,  but 
there  are  indications  that  a  few  j'ears  will  witness  an  active 
emulation  between  the  United  States  and  Great  Britain,  in 
endeavors,  on  the  one  hand,  to  retain,  and,  on  the  other,  to 
acquire  it.  On  all  sides  it  is  admitted  that  the  cit}'  of  the 
Atlantic  coast  which  receives  the  bulk  of  our  Easten  business 
will  be  the  leading  city  of  that  border;  and  if  it  is  not  now 
admitted,  it  will  soon  be,  that  the  emporium  of  the  Mississippi 
Valley  which  commands  the  best  channel  of  intercourse  with 


82  eHANOE    OF   NATIONAL   EMPIRE. 

the  lakes  must  bo,  and  remain,  the  queen  city  of  the  valley. 
But  what  is  it  that  makes  this  lake  country  of  such  command- 
ing importance  ?  In  the  first  place,  it  is  of  great  extent.  Its 
navigable  shores,  including  bays  and  straits,  measure  more  than 
5,000  miles.  Not  only  do  these  command  a  large  countrj-  l^'ing 
back,  in  many  placess,  much  beyond  the  head  waters  of  the 
streams  which  flow  into  them,  but,  by  means  of  valleys,  canals, 
and  other  artificial  aids,  no  inconsiderable  portion  of  the  Missis- 
sippi Yalley  is  made  tributary  to  their  commerce.  This  is  owing 
to  their  affording  the  cheapest  and  best  route  to  New  York  and 
Canada.  Even  with  the  small  canal  between  Buffalo  and  Albany, 
levj'ing  tolls  high  enough  to  have  already  paid  for  its  construc- 
tion, we  find  a  strong  inclination  to  that  route,  not  only  for  the 
foreign  and  Eastern  manufactures  that  are  purchased  in  the  great 
Atlantic  emporium,  and  brought  into  the  lake  and  Mississippi 
vallej's,  but  for  the  farming  produce  of  sections  of  country  that 
formerly  floated  it  down  to' New  Oi'leans.  This  is  strongly 
exemplified  on  the  Ohio  Canal,  the  lake  end  of  which  receives 
of  the  agricultural  productions  transported  oa  it  more  than 
twelve  times  as  much  in  value  as  the  Ohio  river  termination. 
We  have  examined  the  receipts  by  canal,  at  Cleveland  and 
Portsmouth,  for  the  six  past  years  —  the  only  3-ears  for  which 
the  board  of  public  works  have  given  full  returns  —  and  the 
result  shows  the  above  proportion.     For  those  six  years, 

Cleveland  received  of  wheat 8,325,022  bushels. 

Portsmouth     "  "      4,193        " 

Cleveland         "  flour 2,199,542   barrels. 

Portsmouth     "  "     149,645        " 

When  the  Erie  Canal  shall  be  made  three  times  its  original 
size,  through  its  whole  length,  to  Buffalo,  or  from  Albany  to 
Syracuse,  with,  an  equivalent  enlargement  of  the  Oswego  Canal, 
the  cost  of  transportation  on  it  will  be  materially  diminished, 
so  as  to  draw  trade  to  the  lakes  from  a  still  more  extended  por- 
tion of  the  great  valley.  This  tendency  will  be  increased  by  the 
facilities  which  the  Canadian  improvements  will  give  the  lake 
ports,  to  make  shipments  direct  to  foreign  ports  ;  and  it  will,  in 
like  manner,  be  greatly  strengthened  by  the  completion  of  the 
AV abash  and  Erie  Canal,  which  comes  first  into  operation  the 
present  season ;  and  by  the  Miami  Canal,  which  will  connect 
Cincinnati  with  the  lake,  by  a  direct  communication  of  only  235 
miles  in  length,  and  which  will  be  in  operation  in  the  summer  of 
1844:.  Until  the  cities  and  towns  of  the  central  valley  become 
numerous  and  largo  enough  to  consume  most  of  its  agricultural 
surplus,  the  main  exertions  of  her  people  will  be  properly 
directed  to  the  construction  and  improvement  of  channels  for  its 
transport,  by  way  of  the  lakes,  to  Quebec,  New  York,  and  Boston. 


CHANGE  OF  NATIONAL  EMPIRE. 


83 


The  country  lying  north  and  northwest  of  the  lake;^,  to  an 
almost  infinite  extent,  must  carry  on  its  main  exchanges  through 
these  waters.  This,  though  new  and  little  improved,  will,  at  no 
very  distant  da}-,  become  populous  and  powerful.  Before  the  late 
troubles,  the  migration  to  Upper  Canada  from  the  United  King- 
dom was  unexampled  in  the  history  of  colonization,  being,  some 
seasons,  upwards  of  50,000  annually.  Quiet  being  again  restoi-ed, 
the  current  in  that  direction  is  becoming  stronger  than  ever. 

The  soil  of  the  countries  bordering  the  lakes  is,  in  general,  of 
the  most  fertile  character;  and  the  climate,  for  health  and 
pleasantness,  equal  to  that  of  any  part  of  the  continent,  except, 
perhaps,  the  table  lands  of  Mexico.  They  join,  and  are  in  the 
same  latitude,  with  those  Atlantic  States  having  the  densest 
population  and  the  greatest  wealth;  and  the  expenditure  of  time 
and  money  to  change  a  residence  from  these  to  the  lake  borders 
is  now  small,  and  is  every  j'car  becoming  less.  The  main  cur- 
rent of  surplus  population  has  for  several  years  flowed  from 
those  States  into  the  lake  region  ;  and  that  current  will  grow 
wider,  and  deeper,  and  stronger,  in  proportion  to  the  removal  of 
obstacles  impeding  its  progress. 

Now  let  us  sec  what  means  are  in  course  of  preparation  for 
making  easy  and  cheap  the  intercourse  between  the  lakes  and 
the  Atlantic  States.  First  in  importance  is  the  enlarged  Erie 
Canal.  This  work  is  now  in  progress,  and  it  will  probably  be 
finished,  as  far  as  its  connection  with  the  Oswego  Canal  at  Sj'ra- 
cuse,  in-  two  years.  By  that  time,  it  is  hoped,  the  Oswego 
branch  will  also  be  enlarged  to  the  same  size.  Its  dimensions 
are  70  feet  in  width,  7  feet  in  depth,  with  double  locks  through- 
out, large  enough  to  pass  vessels  of  150  tons. 

Next  in  importance,  when  finished,  will  be  the  Chesapeake 
and  Ohio  Canal,  with  its  continuation  from  Pittsburgh  to  Cleve- 
laiul.  This  Avill  be  a  continuous  line  of  canal,  about  520  miles  in 
length,  connecting  tide  water  at  Baltimore,  and  Georgetown 
with  Lake  Erie,  at  Cleveland.  Its  dimensions  vary  from  40  feet 
wide  and  4  feet  deep  to  60  feet  wide  by  6  feet  deep;  averaging, 
say  50  feet  wide  and  5  feet  deep. 

The  Pennsylvania  line  of  canal  and  railroad  will  unite  with 
the  foregoing  at  Pittsburgh,  and  from  tide  water  at  Philadelphia 
to  Cleveland  will  be  aljout  570  miles  long.  These  are  the  rival 
canal  routes  in  the  States  for  the  trade  of  the  lakes.  Let  them 
stand  together,  that  we  ma}-  see  how  the}'  compare ; 

Length.  Size.  Lockage.  Tr'shipm. 

Mik-s.  Feet.  Feet.            No. 

1.  Erie  Canal,  from  151111:110  to  Allcniy...    363  70  by  7  GS8         None. 

2.  Cliesapoake  and  Oliio.  ;iih1  Malioning 

and  Oliio  Ciinal.  to  ('l.'vrlniKl 520        50  by  5    4,500  3 

3.  Pesinsvjvania  Works,  and  Maliouiiig 

and  Ohio  Canal,  to  Cleveland 570        40  by  4    5,000  3 


Distance. 

Size 
of  Canal. 

Size 
of  Locks . 

Milea. 

Feet. 

Feet. 

508 

70  by  7 

120  hy  24 

84  CHANGE    OP    NATIONAL   EMPIRE. 

It  is  a  contrast  rather  than  a  comparison.  If,  however,  the 
other  routes  were  to  afford  equal  facilities  for  business,  that  to 
New  Tork  would  have  a  decided  preference,  because  it  leads  to 
that  established  and  controlling  mart.  But  the  Erie  Canal  is  to 
have  a  formidable  foreif;;n  rival.  Canals  are  in  process  of  con- 
struction around  the  rapids  of  St.  Lawrence,  of  a  size,  and  with 
locks,  large  enough  to  admit  large  steamboats;  and  the  Welland 
Canal  and  locks  are  also  being  made  capable  of  passing  small 
steam  vessels,  and  sailing  vessels  of  300  tons.  These,  when 
completed,  will  give  entrance  at  once  to  foreign  vessels  of  1,000 
tons  burden  to  Lake  Ontario,  and  of  300  tons  to  the  ports  of 
Lake  Erie.  These  works  are  vigorouslj'  going  forward  to  com- 
pletion, the  money  necessary  for  that  purpose  being  pledged 
under  a  guarantee  of  the  home  government.  Many  expect 
them  to  be  finished  in  about  two  years;  but  we  fear  this  expecta- 
tion is  over-sanguine.  A  comparison  of  the  Now  York  and 
Canada  routes  would  stand  thus  : 

From  Lake  Erie  to  Xew  York,  by  canal  and  Hudson  River — 

Length             Lake  No    of 

of  Canal,  and  River.  L'kage.  Tr'shipm. 
Miles.           Miles.           Feet. 

360             145             688  1 

From  entrance  of  NYelland  Canal  on  Lake  Erie,  to  Montreal— 
407         100  by  10  200  by  50  GO^^  346  517     None. 

The  locks  of  the  "Welland  Canal  are  being  constructed  122  feet 
long  in  the  chamber  and  26  feet  wide.  It  will  be  seen  that  we 
have  set  down  the  size  of  the  Erie  Canal  as  if  enlarged  all  the 
way  to  Lake  Erie ;  and  the  size  of  the  Canadian  locks,  on  tho 
St.  Lawrence,  as  if  continued  to  the  same  lake.  We  have  ect 
down  but  one  transhipment  against  the  New  York  route  by 
Buffalo;  whereas,  in  regard  to  all  freights  coming  from  other 
ports  of  the  upper  lakes,  there  will,  ot  course,  bo  a  reshipment 
at  Buffalo,  as  well  as  at  Troy  or  Albany.  Let  us  see  how  the 
New  York  route,  by  Oswego,  will  compare  with  that  of  the  St. 
Lawrence  : 

From  exit  of  Welland  Canal,  in  Lake  Ontario,  to  New  Yorli — 

Size  of  Size  of  Length  Lake  and  Rcship- 

Distance.  Canal.  Locks.  of  Canal.  River.  Lockage,    ments. 

504miles.  70by7feet.  120by24feet.  209  miles.  295mile5.  551  feet.      2 

From  exit  of  Welland  Canal,  in  Lake  Ontario,  to  Montreal — 
379  miles.  llObylOft.  200  by  50  feet.  32^  miles.  347  miles.  IBS  J  ft.  None, 

In  a  report  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  "Welland  Canal, 
in  183'),  it  is  stated  that  "mex'chandiso  from  London  would  be 
conveyed  to  Cleveland  for  £2  10s.  per  ton,"  when  the  St.  Law- 


CHANGE   OF   NATIONAL   EMPIRE. 


85 


rence  should  be  ronderod  navigable  to  the  lakes  b}'  the  works 
now  in  process  of  construction.  This  would  be  54  cents  per  100 
lbs.,  not  above  two-thirds  its  present  cost  from  New  York.  If 
this  statement  be  not  greatly  erroneous,  European  goods  will  be 
delivei'ed  at  the  ports  of  Lake  Erie,  on  the  completion  of  the 
Canadian  canals,  cheaper  than  at  the  port  of  New  Orleans. 

The  railroads  made,  and  in  progress,  to  connect  the  ocean  and 
the  lakes,  are:  1st,  tliat  from  Buffalo  to  Albany-,  and  thence  by 
brandies  to  Boston,  New  York,  and  all  the  largo  towns  of  New 
England  and  the  State  of  Now  York;  2d,  the  Hudson  and  Erie, 
from  Dunkirk  to  the  Hudson;  3d,  the  Sunburj-,  from  Erie  to 
Philadelphia,  and  4th,  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio,  which,  beginning 
at  Baltimore  and  Washington,  will,  one  day,  terminate  on  Lake 
Erie,  at  Cleveland  and  Maumee;  the  former  branch  passing 
through  Pittsburgh,  the  latter  through  Wheeling.  Of  these 
routes,  that  passing  along  near  the  line  of  the  Erie  Canal  pos- 
sesses nearly  the  same  advantage  over  the  others,  as  that  canal 
has  been  shown  to  attbrd  over  her  would-be  rivals  of  Pennsyl- 
vania and  Maryland.  It  avoids  the  ascent  and  descent  of  the 
Alleghany  Mountains,  and,  passing  along  a  level  country,  is  much 
Btraighter,  is  made  and  kept  in  repair  at  much  less  expense,  and, 
of  course,  will  allow  a  greater  speed  to  the  locomotives  that  fly 
along  its  track. 

Such  are  the  great  works  made  and  making;  and  for  whom? 
Surelv  nob  for  the  two  or  three  millionH  that,  within  a  few  years 
past,  have  fixed  their  home  in  the  lake  countries.  No!  but  for 
the  anticipated  tens  of  millions  of  intelligent  and  industrious 
freemen,  who  will,  as  a  moderate  forecast  enables  men  to  nee,  in 
no  long  course  of  years,  spread  over  and  clear  and  cultivate  and 
beautify  ther-e  pleasant  and  fertile  shores.  Whatever  other  error 
may  arise  from  making  the  past  a  basis  of  calculation  for  the 
future,  that  of  a  too  sanguine  estimate  could  hardly  be  com- 
mitted, in  treating  of  any  civilized  country  of  the  present  day, 
much  less  of  ours,  the  most  rapidly  ])rogressive  of  the  whole 
family  of  nations.  To  exhibit  the  growth  of  the  principal  upper 
lake  towns,  from  1830  to  1840,  we  here  give  their  population  at 
those  periods : 


1830. 

Buffalo 8,653 

Erie 1,329 

Cleveland* I,(i76 

Sandusky  Ciiy 400 

Lower  Sandusky....      3.51 

Kerrvsburjj 1S2 

Mauinve  City 200 

Toledo 30 


1840. 

18,213 
3.412 
7,(548 
1,433 
1,117 
1,005 
1,290 
2,053 


1830. 

Detroit 2,222 

Monroe 500 

Chicago 100 

Milwaukee 20 

Huron 75 


12,221        3G,231 


2,917 
12,221 


1840. 
9,102 
1,703 
4.470 
1,712 
1.488 

18  476 
36.231 


•  Including  Ohio  City. 


Total 15,138        54,706 


86  CHANGE   OP   NATIONAL   EMPIRE. 

Showing  an  increase  which,  if  the  numerous  villages  that  have 
commenced  their  existence  since  1830  were  added,  would  more 
than  quadruple  their  numbers  in  ten  years.  The  increase  of 
business  oa  the  upper  lakes  has  been  in  a  greater  ratio  than  even 
ten  to  one.  Indeed,  it  has  nearly  all  grown  up  since  1830.  If 
the  reader  doubt  this,  let  him  examine  and  compare  the  account 
of  the  collector  of  canal  tolls  at  Buffalo  for  that  year  wiih  that 
for  the  past  season,  and  add  to  the  last  the  produce  passing 
through  the  TVelland  Canal. 

But  it  should  not  bo  forgotten  that,  while  the  relative  amount 
of  produce  of  the  soil,  in  proportion  to  the  population,  is  rapidly 
augmenting,  our  cities  and  towns  are  beginning  to  receive  a 
large  accession  of  mechanics,  manufacturers,  and  other  business 
men,  which  will  more  and  more  tend  by  its  increase  to  keep 
down  exports  to  the  East.  The  intercourse  between  the  agri- 
cultural and  manufacturing  regions  of  our  country  will  doubtless 
increase  as  fast,  and  be  productive  of  as  much  mutual  benefit,  as 
any  friend  of  both  sections  now  anticipates ;  but  the  home  trade 
within  the  limits  of  our  North  American  valley  will  grow  much 
faster,  and  possess  a  vigor  as  superior  to  the  former  as  do  the 
great  arteries  near  the  heart  of  those  of  the  lin  bs  of  the  human 
system.  Western  commerce  with  the  Atlantic  border  is  anal- 
ogous to  that  of  the  Eastern  and  Middle  States  with  Europe. 

This  trade  has  had  a  rapid  development,  but  by  no  means  in 
proportion  to  the  augmentation  of  that  with  their  own  coast 
and  interior.  The  foreign  commerce  of  Philadelphia,  for 
instance,  is  no  greater  than  it  was  in  1787,  when  the  popula- 
tion of  the  city  and  liberties  did  not  exceed  40,000,  while  its 
home  trade  has  increased  tenfold,  and  its  population  become 
more  than  five  times  40,000.  It  will  probably  suprise  many  of 
our  readers  to  be  informed  that  the  exports  and  imports  of  our 
upper  lake  region,  the  past  season,  have  probably  exceeded  in 
value  those  of  all  ihe  colonies  on  an  average  of  six  yeai's  pre- 
ceding 1775.  According  to  Pitkin,  the  annual  exports  from  the 
colonies,  of  those  six  years,  amounted  to  £1,752,142,  and  the 
imports  to  £2,732,036.  The  average  annual  amount  of  the 
exports  and  imports  of  this  upper  lake  country  for  the  last  three 
years  Avould  be  estimated  low  at  ^20,000,000.  Such  are  the 
results  of  the  infantile  labors  of  the  young  Hercules  of  the 
lakes. 

The  basins  of  the  St.  Lawrence  and  Mississippi  constitute 
neai'ly  all  the  great  interior  valley.  Each  of  these  basins,  when 
settled  to  a  fair  extent,  will  have  a  vast  commerce  of  its  own ; 
and  it  will  be  interesting  to  ascertain  through  what  channels 
and  through  what  towns  the  great  intercourse  that  will  naturally 
grow  up  between  them  will  be  carried  on.  The  time  will  come, 
within  the  present  century,  when  the  trade  between  the  northern 


CHANGE   OP   NATIONAL   EMPIRE,  87 

and  southern  portions  of  the  Korth  American  valley  will  become 
more  important  than  that  of  the  whole  valley,  with  the  Eastern 
States  and  Europe.  Until  that  period  arrives,  the  channels 
which  command  most  of  the  Eastern  business  will  be  of  para- 
mount importance.  Let  us  examine  the  relative  claims  of  those 
now  used  and  soon  to  be  prepared  for  use. 

Coming  from  the  East,  the  first  improved  communication  con- 
necting lake  and  river  trade  is  the  Genesee  Vallej'  and  Olean 
Canal.  This  will  compete  with  the  canal  from  Erie,  for  the 
supply  of  Eastern  and  European  manufjxctures  to  much  of 
Western  Pennsylvania.  In  the  intercourse  between  Pittsburgh 
and  the  upper  lakes,  which  must  soon  be  of  great  importance, 
the  channels  terminating  at  Erie  and  Cleveland  will  be  rivals. 
To  determine  which  of  these  is  best,  requires  a  more  minute 
knowledge  of  them  than  wo  possess.  Supposing  them  equal, 
Cleveland  being  the  largest  town,  and  the  best  mart  for  such 
manufactures  as  Pittsburgh  exports,  will  be  sure  to  attract  the 
greatest  portion  of  this  trade. 

The  Ohio  Canal,  from  Cleveland  to  Portsmouth,  on  the  Ohio, 
with  its  arms  to  Pittsburgh,  to  Marietta,  and  to  Athens  on  the 
Hocking,  furnishes  an  ample  highway  for  the  interchange  of 
productions  between  the  lake  regions,  and  the  East  and  the  river 
regions,  embracing  Southeastern  Ohio,  Southwestern  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  Western  Virginia.  This  it  holds  without  having  or 
fearing  a  rival,  IIow  far  down  in  Ohio  can  its  exports  from  the 
lakes  be  carried?  This  can  be  ascertained,  with  some  degree  of 
certainty,  by  comparing  it  with  the  Miami  Canal  route. 

The  Miami  Canal,  connecting  the  lake  at  Maumee  with  the 
Ohio  at  Cincinnati,  embraces  at  its  north  end  60  miles  of  what 
is  known  as  the  Wabash  and  Erie  Canal.  It  is  completed,  with 
the  exception  of  85  miles,  which  is  to  bo  constructed  within  the 
next  year.  The  Eastern  trade,  by  way  of  the  Ohio  and  Miami 
Canals,  will  probably  meet  on  the  Ohio,  above  Maysville.  Lot 
us  see : 

Miles. 

TT-rM,,  T.iL-,.  TT-;,.  of  r^i>„^io„.i   / By  Oliio  Canal  to  Portsmouth 30G 

From  Lake  Ene,  at  Cleveland.  |  jjj,  ^j^j^  ^.^^^  ^^^^  ^^  Maysville 47 

Total 353 


From  Lake  Erie,  at  Maumee,  jg>' AV-^J.^''"^^  to  Cincinnati.. 
^,  «.,  .uxauvi^v^.,  |  jjy  qjhq  Kivcr  up  to  Maysvillc. 


235 
G6 


Total 301 

DiflFerence  in  favor  ot  Miami  route 53 

Sixty  miles  of  the  Miami  Canal  (the  Wabash  and  Erie  portion) 
is  more  than  twice  as  large  as  the  Ohio  Canal.  The  lockage  on 
the  Miami  Canal  is  (several  hundred  feet  less  than  it  is  on  the 


68  CHANGE   OF   NATIONAL   EMPIRE. 

Ohio  Canal.  The  conclusion  seems  unavoidable  that  the  Miami 
route  will  send  its  lake  productions  and  Eastern  business  as  far 
up  the  Ohio  as  Maysville.  V/hat  will  be  the  limit  of  its  control 
of  this  business,  South  and  Southwest?  Following  the  shores 
of  the  lakes  Westward  from  Maumee  Ba}-,  one  will  look  in  vain 
for  any  rival  channel  between  the  lakes  and  the  Mississippi 
waters,  before  reaching  the  Illinois  Canal,  at  Chicago.  Iho 
Miami  Canal  can  have  no  rival  in  the  Eastern  business  of  at 
least  10,000  square  miles  of  Ohio,  the  southeastern  portion,  or 
9,000  square  miles  of  Indiana,  and  nearlj'  the  whole  of  Ken- 
tucky. It  remains  to  show  where  the  trade  from  Lake  Erie,  by 
way  of  the  Miami  Canal,  will  probably  meet,  on  equal  terms,  the 
eame  trade  by  wa}'^  of  the  Illinois  Canal,  on  the  Mississippi 
waters;  in  other  words,  what  portion  of  the  great  river  valley 
will  be  likely  to  use  the  one  or  the  other  in  the  transaction  of  its 
Eastern  business  ?  Will  the  place  at  which  they  may  meet  on 
equal  terms  be  at  the  mouth  of  the  Cumberland  river?  The 
Cumberland  waters  a  large  extent  of  fertile  country,  affords 
good  navigation,  and  has  upon  its  banks.,  besides  many  other 
thriving  towns,  the  important  commercial  city  of  JSIashville. 
We  will  place  the  distances  by  the  two  routes  side  by  side.  Lake 
Erie  is  the  common  starting  point  j  for  upon  her  waters  must 
merchandise  first  come,  whether  the  Erie  Canal  or  St.  Lawrence 
be  the  channel  through  which  it  has  been  transported: 

JjciUe  Efie  fo  the  mouth  of  Cumberland  River ^  hy  way  of  Miami  Canal. 

Miles. 

From  Manmee  harbor  to  Cincinnati,  by  canal 285 

"     Cincinnati  to  the  mouth  of  Cumberland,  by  river.. 449 

Total 684 

By  way  of  Illi-nois  Canal. 

From  Lake  Erie  to  Chicajro,  by  tlie  lakes 750 

"     Chicago  to  lower  end  of  Illinois  ('anal 300 

"      thence  to  mouth  of  Illinois  River 267 

"      thence  down  the  Missiissippi  to  mouth  of  Ohio 209 

"     thence  up  the  Ohio  to  the  mouth  of  Cumberland 57 

Total V 1,383 

Diflerence  in  favor  of  Miami  route 699 

It  will  be  observed  that  the  Illinois  route  has  an  excess  of  86 
miles  of  river  navigation  over  the  ^Miami  channel,  some  of  which 
is  inferior  to  that  of  the  lower  Ohio.  This  will,  in  part,  go  to 
balance  the  excess  of  canal  on  the  Miami  route.  The  Cumber- 
land Yalley,  then,  clearly  belongs  to  the  Eastern  rival. 

But  here  comes  the  more  important  Tennessee,  a  river  longer 
than  the  Rhine,  the  Elbe,  or  the  Tagus,  and  navigable  into  the 
rich  cotton  regions   of  Tennessee,  Mississippi,   and  Alabama. 


CHANGE   OP   NATIONAL   EMPIRE.  89 

This  is  a  prize  worth  contondin<ij  for.  "Which  of  our  rival  chan- 
nels will  8iippl>'  its  fertile  and  extensive  valley  Avith  the  large 
amount  of  luorchandiso  which  its  ample  moans  and  civilized 
wants  will  require?  There  are  but  13  miles  separating  the 
mouths  of  the  Cumberland  and  the  Tennessee,  so  that  the  Illi- 
nois channel  gains  but  26  miles  in  comparison  with  the  route 
just  detailed.  Still  will  this  route  have  a  balance  against  it  of 
673  miles,  as  compared  with  its  rival,  which  the  following  figures 
will  show : 

Miles. 

From  Lake  Erie  to  mouth  of  Tennessee,  by  Chicapfo 1,370 

"  "  » >•  "  Miami  and  Cincinnati..      697 

Difference  in  favor  of  Miami  route 673 

We  now  descend  to  where  the  Ohio  joins  the  Father  of  Waters. 
Will  the  trade  of  the  East,  through  Lake  Erie,  reach  this  point? 
It  has  already,  to  some  extent,  passed  out  of  the  Ohio,  both  up 
and  down  the  Mississippi,  and  by  a  course  more  circuitous  and 
expensive  than  either  of  those  I  am  now  comparing,  to-wit : 
that  by  the  Ohio  Canal.  Let  the  comparison,  then,  be  made  at 
this  point  between  our  rivals.  From  the  mouth  of  the  Ten- 
nessee to  the  Mississippi  the  distance  is  44  miles : 

Miles. 

From  Lake  Erie  to  mouth  of  Ohio,  by  Cliicago  and  St.  Louis 1,326 

"  '*  "  "  Maumee  and  Cincinnati 741 

Difference  in  favor  of  the  latter  route 5S5 

In  going  up  the  Mississippi,  we  must,  of  course,  come  to  the 
point  where  the  advantages  of  the  two  routes  will  be  equal.  la 
that  point  at  St.  Louis  ? 

Miles 

From  Lake  Erie  to  St.  Louis,  by  f'hioaofo 1,150 

"  "  "  Miami  Canal  and  Ohio  and  Miss....      917 

Difference 233 

Thus  it  appears  that  St.  Louis  will  have  a  choice  of  two  nearly 
equally  desiralde  routes  of  communication  with  New  York,  by 
way  of  Lake  Erie.  Another  route  from  Lake  Erie  to  St.  Louis, 
by  way  of  the  Wabash  and  Erie  Canal,  would  be  much  bettor. 

Miles. 

From  ^faumpp  to  Covington,  on  WabaRh,  by  canal 270 

"     Covington  by  proposed  rail  to  St.  Louis 196 

Whole  distance 460 

On  the  whole,  it  seems  to  us  quite  plain  that  of  all  the  chan- 
nels  of  trade   now   open   and   being  opened  in  our  extensive 
6 


90  CUANGE   OF    NATIONAL   EMPIRE. 

countiy,  no  one  of  the  same  extent  is  destined  to  be  the  medium 
of  such  extensive  commercial  operations  as  the  canal  which  con- 
nects, by  the  shortest  route,  Lake  Erie  with  Cincinnati. 

When  the  day  shall  arrive  that  witnesses  the  predominance  of 
the  home  trade  of  the  North  American  valley  over  that  which 
is  carried  on  with  the  Eastern  States  and  with  Eui'ope,  and  the 
intercourse  between  the  northern  and  southern  portions  of  it 
takes  the  place  of  that  which  now  is  carried  on  with  the  old 
States ;  and  when,  also,  the  shores  of  the  upper  lakes  shall  be- 
brought  under  cultivation,  and  become  densel}^  settled,  the  just 
claims  of  the  Chicago  route  to  participate  largely  in  the  trade 
between  the  lakes  and  the  central  and  lower  Mississippi  Yalley 
will  be  greatly  enlarged.  Then  she  will  be  the  port  from  which 
supplies  of  Southern  productions  will  bo  drawn  for  all  the  borders 
of  the  great  Lakes  Michigan  and  Superior,  and  the  northern  shores 
of  Lakes  Huron  and  L'oquois,  and  through  which  will  be  sent 
southward  most  of  the  surplus  productions  of  those  extensive 
regions.  But  the  Miami  Canal,  as  soon  as  completed,  will  fall 
into  possession  of  a  well-peopled  and  highly-cultivated  region 
of  great  extent,  whose  productions  will  rush  through,  from  both 
extremes,  the  moment  it  is  rendered  navigable,  is^ot  less  than 
two  millions  of  people,  living  in  the  southwestern  part  of  Ohio, 
the  southeastern  part  of  Indiana,  and  almost  throughout  the 
entire  States  of  Kentucky  and  Tennessee,  will  mal:e  it  the 
medium  through  which  their  imports  from  Xew  York  will  be 
received;  and  not  less  than  one  million,  living  on  the  borders  of 
the  lakes,  will  depend  on  it  for  the  introduction  of  sugar,  cotton, 
rice,  and  other  peculiar  productions  of  the  South.  If  the  agri- 
cultural productions  put  afloat  upon  it  incline  as  strongly  for  a 
market  to  the  lake  end  of  this  as  of  the  Ohio  Canal  (and  we 
cannot  doubt  that  they  will  still  more  so,  for  it  is  a  better  and 
more  direct  canal,  being  71  miles  shorter),  then  will  they  pass 
along  its  whole  line,  from  south  to  north,  embracing  the  vast 
surplus  gathered  in  at  Cincinnati.  From  the  lake  there  will  be 
sent  up  this  canal,  besides  merchandise,  great  quantities  of  pine 
lumber,  building  stone  (  which  abounds  near  its  northern  termi- 
nation), mineral  coal,  salt,  gypsum,  lake-fish^  and  doubtless 
many  other  articles.  It  seems  clear,  then,  that,  of  all  the 
thoroughfares  provided  for  the  promotion  of  trade  between  the 
lake  aiiu  the  river  valleys  of  tLo  "West,  the  ^lanii  Cr.rUil  is  to  be 
by  far  the  most  important. 

But  there  are  rivals  in  the  New  York  trade  with  the  river 
valley,  which  nowhere  touch  the  lakes  or  the  Erie  Canal.  These 
are,  first,  the  Philadelphia  and  Pittsburgh,  by  canals  and  rail- 
roads; and,  second,  the  Ocean,  Gulf,  and  Piver  route,  hy  way  of 
New  Oi'leans.  It  remains  to  compare  these  with  the  Miami 
channel. 


CHAXGE   OF    NATIONAL   EMPIRE.  '    91 

The  present  leading  emporium  of  river  commerce,  Cincinnati, 
will  be  the  assumed  point  of  receipt  and  shipment. 

For  expense  of  the  carriage  of  oroods  (TOO  pounds)  at  present  rate«, 
from  New  \oik  to  Mauuiee,  800  miles SO 

Insurance  of  100  pounds  at  one-half  ot  one  per  cent,  on  estimated 
average  value  of  $10 OS 

From  iluumee  to  Cincinnati,  by  ilianai  Caual,  2;J5  miles 45 

Amount $1  2i 

By  Philadelphia  and  Pittsburgh  from  New  York,  the  freight  and 
•barges  will  be  — 

To  Philadelphia,  per  100  pounds 13 

"Pittsburgh,       '•  "  $110 

"  Cincinnati,        '•  "  20 

"  Insurance  of  100  pounds  at  1^  per  cent,  on  SIO.. 20 

Amount $1  62 

The  time  required  by  each  will  be  nearly  the  same  when  the 
Ohio  is  in  good  navigable  condition.  It  is,  however,  well  known 
that  the  river  between  Pittsburgh  and  Cincinnati  is  not  to  be 
telied  on  for  any  considerable  portion  of  the  season,  when  the 
Pennsylvania  canals  are  navigable;  and  the  merchant,  who, 
above  all  things,  desires  certainty  and  expedition  in  his  opera- 
tions, will  hardly  decline  the  reliable  and  safe  route  by  the  lake, 
in  favor  of  the  more  uncertain  and  hazardous  one  by  the  Ohio 
river.  For  his  earliest  spring  supplies,  be  will  doubtless  receive 
a  small  stock  by  the  Pennsylvania  and  Baltimore  routes;  but 
for  his  main  supply,  he  will  as  certainly  adopt  the  safest  and 
cheapest  channel.  Which  of  these  routes  will  be  the  best  for  the 
■urplus  of  agriculture  shipped  to  'Nevf  York  ?  Contracts  by 
responsible  lines  have  been  made  for  the  transportation  of  flour, 
from  Lafayette,  on  the  Wabash,  to  J^ew  York,  for  from  §1  45 
to  SI  50  per  barrel.  The  distance  from  Lafayette  to  Maumee  is 
215  miles,  20  miles  less  than  from  Cincinnati.  Wc  will,  thero- 
fore,  put  the  co:st  of  sending  a  barrel  of  flour  — 

From  Cincinnati  to  New  York,  at $1  55 

rUp  the  Ohio  to  Pittsburgh 4Z 

Pittsburgh  route-!  Canal  and  railroad  to  Phdadelphia $1  10 

(.Thence  to  New  York 13 

Total per  barrel $1  67 

The  difi'erence  in  the  cost  of  insurance  would  ordinarily  be  6 
or  8  cents  in  favor  of  the  lake  route.  On  pork  and  other  artielas, 
the  proportion  of  expense  would  bo  about  the  came. 


92  CHANGE    OF    NATIONAL   EMPIRE. 

Let  a  comparison  now  bo  instituted  between  the  lake  and 
ocean  routes;  and,  first,  in  the  transport  of  goods  Westward: 

From  New  York  by  Lake  Erie,  as  before  detailed,  cost  per  100  lbs...  $1  33 

f  New  York  to  New  Orleans 25 

T>  onri  T-NrnT.  J   Ncw  Orlcaus  to  Cj iioiuiiaM 63 

By  ocean  ana  river  ^   insurance  to  New  Orleans,  2  per  cent,  on  $16...  33 

Insurance  to  Cincinnati  "  "...  32 


I 


Total $1  53 


As  most  of  the  goods  bought  in  New  York  for  the  Cincinnati 
market  would  greatly  exceed  in  value  our  estimate  of  $16  per 
100  pounds,  the  interior  route  will  have,  in  I'egard  to  all  such,  a 
still  greater  advantage  over  that  by  the  ocean,  and  in  propor- 
tion to  the  excess  of  cost  above  that  sum. 

Productions  sent  for  theWest,  having  greater  weight  and  bulk 
in  proportion  to  their  value  than  merchandise  coming  the  other 
■wa_y,  can  better  afford  to  pay  insurance  ;  and,  other  things  being 
equal,  would  incline  to  the  iNew  Orleans  outlet  as  the  cheapest. 
The  cost  of  taking  flour  to  the  New  York  market,  from  all 
places  on  the  Ohio  below  Cincinnati  (  at  which  point  it  will  be 
about  equal),  will  be  less  this  way  than  by  the  Miami  Canal. 
But  flour  taken  from  the  West,  through  New  Orleans,  brings  less 
in  the  great  Northern  markets  than  that  which  goes  by  ihe 
lakes,  by  more  than  the  ordinary  cost  of  carriage  from  the 
mouth  of  the  Ohio  to  Cincinnati.  This  is  well  known  to  be 
owing  to  the  great  liability  to  damage  in  going  through  a  hot 
climate.  As  a  final  mai'ket,  New  Orleans  is,  in  general,  very 
fluctuating  and  uncertain.  These  facts  assure  us  that  nearly 
all  the  surplus  flour,  within  reach  of  the  canals  leading  from  the 
lakes  into  the  Mississippi  Yalle}',  will  take  the  northern  road  to 
market.  For  safety  from  the  bursting  of  boilers,  there  is  no 
Bteam  navigation  in  the  States,  and  perhaps  not  in  the  world, 
equal  to  that  of  the  lakes.  On  the  ocean  the  use  of  salt  watex-, 
and  on  the  Western  rivers  the  use  of  muddy  water,  for  the 
boilers,  has  probably  occasioned  a  large  proportion  of  the  explo- 
sions that  have  so  greatly  augmented  the  risk  of  navigation  on 
the  Mississippi  waters.  The  pure  water  of  the  lakes  has  proved 
eminently  favorable  to  safe  steam  navigation;  and  the  numerous 
harbors  along  the  American  shore  of  Lake  Erie  have  lessened 
the  risk,  and  given  it  an  advantage  in  that  respect  over  the 
others  —  Ontario,  perhaps,  excepted. 

But  it  may  bo  said  that,  at  no  distant  day,  a  large  portion 
of  the  producticms  of  foreign  countries  brought  into  the  great 
Western  marts  for  sale  will  bo  imported  directl}^  from  the 
regions  in  which  they  are  produced,  and  that  the  assuming  of 


CHANGE    OF    NATIONAL   EMPIRE.  93 

New  York  as  the  great  center  of  supply  will  fail  in  regard  to 
these,  and  thus  atfect  the  conclusions  heretofore  drawn.  An 
examination  of  the  various  inlets  to  this  foreign  trade  will  not, 
however,  much  vary  the  results  on  the  routes  we  have  con- 
trasted and  compared.  Is  the  St.  Lawrence,  the  route  for  the 
European  supplies,  adopted  ?  The  Miami  and  Illinois  Canals 
will  still  be  the  channels  for  its  transport  to  a  great  part  of  the 
Mississippi  Valle3\  Is  the  Mississippi  the  chosen  channel  for 
the  introduction  of  what  are  usually  called  West  India  and  South 
American  products  to  the  upper  lakes?  Still  are  these  the  only 
rivals  in  their  transportation.  'Will  the  Mississippi  challenge  a 
comparison  with  the  St.  Lawrence,  in  our  anticipated  European 
trade?  Such  comparison  can  only  result  in  the  triumph  of  her 
northern  rival.  It  would  not  beditRcult  to  prove  that,  when  the 
canals  now  being  made  around  the  obstructions  to  navigation 
from  Montreal  to  the  upper  lakes  shall  be  finished,  so  as  to 
admit  sea-going  vessels  to  their  ports,  freight  and  insurance 
between  Liverpool  and  the  ports  of  Cleveland,  Maumee,  and 
perhaps  Chicago,  will  be  lower  than  to  the  port  of  Now  Orleans. 
The  distance  from  England  or  France,  by  the  St.  Lawrence,  to 
the  ports  of  Lake  Erie,  is  less,  by  more  than  1,100  miles,  than 
to  New  Orleans  by  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  Of  the  St.  Lawrence 
route,  the  distance  by  river  and  canal,  requiring  the  aid  of 
Bteam  or  horse  power,  may  be  about  200  miles;  and  by  the  Mis- 
sissippi, from  its  mouth  to  New  Orleans,  upwards  of  100  miles. 
The  advantage  possessed  by  the  latter  of  the  saving  of  tolls 
can  hai'dly  be  an  offset  against  the  1,100  miles  additional  length 
of  vo3'ago.  Each  route  will  have  some  peculiar  advantage. 
The  northern  will  build,  man,  and  own,  the  shipping  employed 
on  it;  whereas  the  southern  will  depend  on  ships  foreign  to  her 
port.  The  southern  will  be  open  all  the  year;  whereas  th« 
northern  will  be  barred  by  ice  half  the  year.  The  favorable 
effect  upon  a  trade,  of  being  carried  on  by  a  maritime  people  in 
their  own  vessels,  from  their  own  ports,  is  made  manifest  by 
contrasting  the  trade  of  I3oston  and  Portland  with  that  of 
Charleston  and  New  Orleans.  As  New  Orleans  depends  mainly 
on  Northern  and  European  vessels  to  carry  on  her  coastwise 
and  foreign  commerce,  the  lakes  can  furnish  her  with  their 
vessels  from  the  middle  of  November  to  the  middle  of  April,  a 
■easou  most  favorable  for  the  trade  of  that  port,  but  of  entire 
idleness  to  lake  vessels  that  do  not  seek  employment  on  the 
open  seas  of  more  sunny  climes. 


94  CHANGE   OF    NATIONAL   EMPIRE. 

Number  III.— 1S43. 

Tho  increasing  tendency  to  reside  in  towns  and  cities  which  is 
manifested  by  tho  inhabitants  of  all  countries,  as  they  make 
progress  in  the  arts  and  refinements  of  civilization,  is  sufficiently 
obvious  to  most  men  who  think  on  the  subject.  But  it  is  not 
so  apparent,  to  those  whose  attention  has  not  been  particularly 
turned  to  tho  matter,  that  tho  improvements  of  the  last  century 
have  so  much  strengthened  that  tendency  as  almost  to  make  it 
seem  like  a  new  principle  of  society,  growing  out  of  the  com- 
bined agency  of  steam  power  and  machinor3^  Mr,  Hume, 
who  had  as  clear  apprehension  of  the  relations  of  tho  vari- 
ous conditions  of  societ}^,  and  the  operation  of  the  causes 
modifjdng  them,  as  any  man  of  his  time,  expresses  the 
opinion  that  no  city  of  antiquity  probably  ever  contained 
more  inhabitants  than  London,  which  at  the  time  he  wrote, 
near  one  hundred  j'cars  ago,  was  estimated  at  800,000. 
He  thought  thoro  were  internal  and  inherent  causes  to  check 
and  stop  the  growth  of  the  most  favorably  situated  cities 
■when  they  reached  that  size.  Taking  the  then  existing  con- 
dition of  society  as  the  basis  of  his  reasoning,  it  seems  probable 
that  he  judged  correctly.  Neither  the  spinning  jenny,  nor 
the  power  loom,  nor  the  steam  engine,  nor  the  canal,  nor  the 
McAdam  road,  nor  the  railway,  had  then  been  brought  into  use; 
nor  had  tho  productive  power  of  the  soil,  aided  by  science  and 
art,  been,  at  that  time,  tasked  to  its  utmost  to  bring  forth  human 
sustenance.  Mr.  Hume  looked  with  the  eye  of  a  philosopher  on 
the  past  and  the  present;  but,  in  predicting  of  the  future,  his 
mistakes  were  nearly  as  numerous  as  his  vaticinations.  To 
judge  of  the  future  b}^  the  past  may  seem  safe  and  philosophie 
to  those  who  believe  not  in  the  certain  advance  of  mankind 
towards  a  more  perfect  condition  of  nature.  So  to  judge  wat 
in  accordance  with  the  skeptical  mind  of  Mr.  Hume.  Let  us 
avoid,  so  far  as  wo  may,  his  mistake ;  though  to  us  it  seems  not 
practicable  to  avoid  falling  into  some  degree  of  error  of  tho 
same  sort  when  we  undertake  to  foretell  future  conditions  and 
events  in  a  rapidly  progressive  community. 

What  has  been  the  effect  of  the  improvements,  phj'sical  and 
moral,  of  the  past  century,  on  the  growth  of  towns?  and  what 
is  likely  to  be  their  future  effect,  aided  by  other  and  probably 
greater  improvements,  on  the  growth  of  towns,  during  the  hun- 
dred years  to  come?  Wo  define  town  to  mean  any  place 
numbering  2,000  or  more  inhabitants.  It  is  to  Great  Britain  we 
are  to  look  for  the  main  evidences  of  tho  effects  of  tho  labor- 
saving  improvements  of  the  last  century.  The  first  canal  was 
commenced  in  that  country  by  the  Duke  of  Bridgewater,  no 
longer  ago  than  1760.     The  invention  of  the  spinning  jenny, 


CHANGE   OF    NATIONAL   EMPIRE.  95 

by  Hargrcavcs,  followed  seven  years  after.  Not  long  after  this, 
the  spinning  frame  was  contrived  by  the  ingenuity  of  Arkwright. 
In  1775,  Mr.  Crompton  produced  the  machine  culled  the  mule,  a 
combination  of  the  two  preceding.  Some  time  afterwards,  Mr. 
Cartwright  invented  the  power  loom,  but  it  was  not  until  after 
1820  that  it  was  brought  into  general  use.  The  steam  engine, 
the  moving  power  of  all  this  machiner}-,  was  so  improved  by 
Watt,  in  1785,  as  to  entitle  him  to  claim,  for  all  important  prac- 
tical purposes,  being  its  inventor.  At  the  same  time  that  these 
great  inventions  were  being  brought  into  use,  the  nation  was 
making  rapid  progress  in  the  construction  of  canals  and  roads, 
and  in  the  duplication  of  her  agricultural  products.  Indeed, 
great  part  of  her  works  to  cheapen  and  facilitate  internal  trade, 
including  her  canals,  her  McAdani  roads,  and  her  railwa3'S, 
have  been  constructed  within  the  last  thirty  years.  The  effect 
of  these,  in  building  up  towns,  is  exemplified  by  the  following 
facts:  Mr.  Slaney,"M.  P.,  stated  in  the  House  of  Commons,  in 
Maj-,  1830,  that,  '<in  England,  those  engaged  in  manufacturing 
and  mechanical  occupations,  as  compared  with  the  agricultural 
class,  were  G  to  5,  in  1801 ;  they  were  as  8  to  5  in  1821 ;  and  2 
to  1  in  1830.  In  Scotland,  the  increase  had  been  still  more 
extraordinary.  In  that  country  they  were  as  5  to  G  in  1801 ;  as 
9  to  6  in  1821 ;  and,  in  1830,  as  2  to  1.  The  increase  of  the 
general  population  for  the  preceding  twenty  j'cars  had  been  30 
per  cent.;  in  the  manufacturing  population  it  had  been  40  per 
cent.;  in  Manchester,  Liverpool,  Coventry,  and  Birmingham, 
the  increase  had  been  50  per  cent.;  in  Leeds,  it  had  been  54  per 
cent.;  in  Glasgow,  it  had  been  100  per  cent."  The  increase  of 
population  in  England  and  Wales,  from  1821  to  1831,  was  16 
per  cent.  This  increase  was  nearly  all  absorbed  in  towns  and 
their  suburbs,  as  the  proportion  of  people  engaged  in  agricul- 
ture has  decreased  decidedl}'  with  every  census.  More  scientiiio 
modes  of  culture,  and  more  perfect  machines  and  implements, 
combined  with  other  causes,  have  rendered  an  increased  amount 
of  human  labor  unnecessary  in  the  production  of  a  greatly  aug- 
mented amount  of  food.  In  1831,  but  one-third  of  the  people 
of  England  were  employed  in  the  labors  of  agriculture,  hi 
1841,  Very  little  more  than  one-fourth  were  so  employed. 

In  Scotland,  seven  of  the  best  agricultural  counties  decreased 
in  population,  from  1831  to  1841,  from  1  to  5  per  cent.;  Avhereas, 
the  counties  in  which  were  her  principal  towns  increased  during 
the  same  period  from  15  to  34.8  per  cent.;  the  latter  being  the 
increase  of  the  county  of  Lanark,  in  which  Glasgow  is  situated. 
The  average  increase  of  all  Scotland  for  those  ten  3'ears  was 
11.1  per  cent.  According  to  Marshall,  the  increase  of  popula- 
tion in  England  for  the  ten  years  preceding  1831,  was  30  per 
cent,  in  the  mining  districts,  25 J  in  the  manufacturing,  and  19 


96  CHANGE    OF   NATIONAL   EMPIRE. 

in  the  metroplitan  (Middlesex  county),  while  in  the  inland  towns 
and  villages  it  was  only  7 1  per  cent. 

The  railwaj's,  which  now  traverse  England  in  every  quarter, 
and  bring  into  near  neighborhood  its  most  distant  points,  have 
been  nearly  all  constructed  since  1830.  Their  effect,  in  aid  of 
the  other  works,  in  augmenting  the  present  great  centers  of 
population,  will,  obviously,  be  very  considerable ;  how  great 
remains  to  be  developed  by  the  future.  London,  with  its 
suburbs,  has  now  about  2,000,000  of  inhabitants  ;  but  she  is 
probably  far  below  the  culminating  point  of  her  greatness.  The 
kingdom  of  which  she  is  the  commercial  heart  doubles  its  popu- 
lation in  forty-two  years.  It  is  reasonable,  then,  to  suppose 
that,  within  the  next  fiity  years,  London  and  the  other  groat 
foci  of  human  beings  in  that  kingdom  will  have  more  than 
twice  their  present  numbers;  for  it  is  proved  that  nearly  the 
whole  increase  in  England  is  monopolized  by  the  lage  commer- 
eial  and  manufacturing  towns,  with  their  suburbs. 

Will  similar  causes  produce  like  effects  in  the  United  States  ? 
In  the  States  of  Massachusetts,  iS^evv  York,  Pennsylvania,  and' 
Ohio,  the  improvements  of  the  age  operated  te  some  extent  on 
their  leading  towns  from  1830  to  1840.  Massachusetts  had  little 
benefit  from  canals,  railways,  or  steam  power  j  but  her  towns  felt 
the  beneficent  influence  of  her  labor-saving  machinery  moved  by 
water  power,  and  her  improved  agriculture  and  common  roads. 
The  increase  of  her  nine  principal  towns,  commencing  with  Bos- 
ton and  ending  with  Cambridge,  from  1830  to  1840,  was  66,373, 
equal  to  53  per  cent.;  being  more  than  half  the  entire  increase 
of  the  State,  which  was  but  128,000,  or  less  than  21  per  cent. 
The  increase,  leaving  out  those  towns,  was  but  11  per  cent.  Of 
this  11  per  cent.,  great  part,  if  not  all,  must  have  been  in  the 
towns  not  included  in  our  list. 

The  growth  of  the  towns  in  the  State  of  New  York,  during 
the  same  period,  is  mainly  due  to  her  canals.  That  of  the  four- 
teen largest,  from  New  York  to  Seneca,  inclusive,  was  201,f:07, 
or  64 2-  per  cent.;  whereas,  the  inra-easo  in  the  whole  State  was 
less  than  27  per  cent.,  and  of  the  State,  exclusive  of  these  towns, 
but  19  per  cent.  Of  this,  it  is  certain  that  nearly  all  is  due  to 
the  other  towns  not  in  the  list  of  the  fourteen  largest. 

Pennsylvania  has  canals,  railways,  and  other  improvements, 
that  should  give  a  rapid  growth  to  her  towns.  These  works, 
however,  had  not  time,  after  their  completion,  to  produce  their 
proper  effects  before  the  crash  of  her  monetary  system  nearly 
paralyzed  every  branch  of  her  industry,  except  agriculture  and 
the  coal  business.  Nine  of  her  largest  towns,  from  Philadelphia 
to  Erie,  inclusive,  exhibit  a  gain,  from  1830  to  1840,  of  84,642, 
being  at  the  rate  of  39  J  per  cent.     This  list  does  not  include 


CHANGE   OF   NATIONAL   EMPIRE.  97 

Pottsvillo  or  any  other  mining  town.     The  increase  of  the  whole 
State  was  but  21 4  per  cent, 

Ohio  has  great  natural  facilities  for  trade,  in  her  lake  and 
river  coast;  the  former  having  become  avaihible  only  since  the 
opening  of  the  Erie  canal,  in  1826,  and  that  to  little  purpose 
before  I80O.  She  has  also  canals,  which  have  been  constructing 
and  coming  gradually  into  use  since  1830.  These  now  amount 
to  about  7(50  miles.  For  the  last  five  years,  she  has  also  con- 
structed an  extent  of  McxVdam  roads  exceeding  any  other  State, 
and  amounting  to  hundreds  of  miles.  Her  railwaj's,  which  are 
of  small  extent,  have  not  been  in  operation  long  enough  to  have 
produced  much  effect.  From  this  review  of  the  State,  it  will 
not  be  expected  to  exhibit  as  great  increase  in  town  population, 
from  1830  to  1840,  as  will  distinguish  it  hereafter.  The  effects 
of  her  public  improvements,  however,  will  be  clearly  seen  in  the 
following  exhibit:  Eighteen  of  her  largest  towns,  and  the  same 
number  of  medium  size  and  average  increase,  contained,  in 
1830,  58,310,  which  had  augmented,  in  1840,  to  138,016;  show- 
ing an  increa-^e  of  138  per  cent.  The  increase  of  the  whole 
State,  during  the  same  period,  was  62  per  cent.  The  northwest 
quarter  of  the  State  has  no  towns  of  any  magnitude,  and  has  but 
begun  to  be  settled.  This  quarter  had  but  12,671  inhabitants  in 
1830,  and  92,050  lu  1840. 

The  increase  of  the  twenty  largest  towns  in  the  United  States, 
from  New  York  to  St.  Louis,  inclusive,  from  1830  to  1840,  Avas 
55  per  cent.,  Avhile  that  of  the  whole  country  was  less  than  34 
per  cent.  If  the  slaveholding  States  were  left  out,  the  result  of 
the  calculation  would  be  still  more  favorable  to  the  towns. 

The  foregoing  facts  clearly  show  the  strong  tendency  of 
modern  improvements  to  build  towns.  Our  country  has  just 
begun  its  career;  but  as  its  progress  in  population  is- in  a  geo- 
metrical ratio,  and  its  improvements  more  rapidly  progressive 
than  its  population,  we  are  startled  at  the  results  to  which  wo 
are  brought  by  the  application  of  these  principles  to  the  cen- 
tury into  which  our  inquiry  now  leads  us. 

In  1840,  the  United  States  had  a  population  of  17,068,666. 
Allowing  its  future  increase  to  be  at  the  rate  of  33J  per  cent., 
for  each  succeeding  period  of  ten  years,  we  shall  number,  in 
1940,  303,101,641.  Past  experience  warrants  us  to  expect  this 
groat  increase.  In  1790,  our  number  was  3,927,827.  Supposing 
it  to  have  inci'eascd  in  each  decade,  in  the  ratio  of  33J  per  cent., 
it  would,  in  1840,  have  amounted  to  16,560,256;  being  more 
than  half  a  million  less  than  our  actual  number,  as  shown  by 
the  census  With  300,000,000,  we  should  have  less  than  150  to 
the  square  mile  for  our  whole  territory,  and  but  220  to  the  square 
mile  for  our  orijanized  States  and  territories.     England  has  300 


98  CHANGE   OF   NATIONAL   EMPIBE. 

to  the  square  mile.  It  doea  not,  then,  seem  probable  that  oui*  pro- 
gressive increase  will  be  materially  checked  within  the  one 
hundred  3-ears  under  consideration.  At  the  end  of  that  period, 
Canada  will  probably  number  at  least  20,000,000.  If  we  sup- 
pose the  portion  of  our  country,  oast  and  south  of  the 
Appalachian  chain  of  mountains,  known  as  the  Atlantic  slope, 
to  possess  at  that  time  40,000,000,  or  near  five  times  its  present 
number,  there  will  be  left  200,000,000  for  the  great  central  region 
between  the  Appalachian  and  Piocky  Mountains,  and  between 
the  Gulf  of  Mexico  and  Canada,  and  for  the  country  west  of  the 
Ptocky  Mountains.  Allowing  the  Oregon  territor}^  10,000,000, 
there  will  bo  left  250,000,000  for  that  portion  of  the  American 
Slates  lying  in  the  basins  of  the  Mobile,  Mississippi,  and  St. 
Lawrence.  If,  to  these,  we  add  20,000,000  for  Canada,  we  have 
270,000,000  as  the  probable  number  that  will  inhabit  the  North 
American  valley  at  the  end  of  the  one  hundred  years,  com- 
mencing in  1840.  If  wo  suppose  one-third,  or  90,000,000,  of 
this  number  to  reside  in  the  country  as  cultivators  or  artisans, 
there  will  be  180,000,000  left  for  the  towns — enough  to  people 
360,  each  containing  half  a  million.  This  does  not  seem  so 
incredible  as  that  the  valley  of  the  Nile,  ecarcel}-  twelve  miles 
broad,  should  have  once,  as  historians  tell  us,  contained  20,000 
cities. 

But,  lest  one  hundred  3'ears  seem  too  long  to  be  relied  on,  in 
a  calculation  having  so  many  elements,  let  us  see  how  matters 
will  stand  fift}^  years  from  1840,  or  forty-seven  years  from  this 
time.  The  ratio  of  increase  we  have  adopted  cannot  be  objected 
to  as  extravagant  for  this  period.  In  1890,  according  to  that 
ratio,  our  number  will  be  72,000,000.  Of  these,  22,000;000  will 
be  a  fair  allowance  for  the  Atlantic  slope.  Of  the  remaining 
50,000,000,  2,000,000  may  reside  west  of  the  Eocky  Mountains, 
leaving  48,000,000  for  the  great  valley  Avithin  the  States.  If,  to 
these,  we  add  5,000,000  as  the  population  of  Canada,  we  have  an 
aggregate  of  53,000,000  for  the  North  American  valley.  One- 
third,  or  say  18,000,000,  being  set  down  as  farming  laborers  and 
rural  artisans,  there  will  remain  35,000,000  for  the  towns,  which 
might  be  70  in  number,  having  each  half  a  million  souls.  It  can 
scarcely  be  doubted  that,  within  the  forty-seven  years,  our  agri- 
culture will  be  so  improved  as  to  require  less  than  one-third  to 
furnish  food  and  raw  materials  for  manufacture  for  the  whole 
population.  Good  judges  have  said  that  we  are  not  now  more 
than  twenty  or  thirty  years  behind  England  in  our  husbandry. 
It  is  certain  that  wo  are  rapidly  adopting  her  improvements  in 
this  branch  of  industry';  and  it  is  not  to  be  doubted  that  very 
many  new  improvements  will  be  brought  out,  both  in  Europe 
and  America,  which  will  tend  to  lessen  the  labor  necessary  in 
the  production  of  food  and  raw  materials. 


CHANGE    OF    NATIONAL   EMPIRE.  99 

Tho  tendency  to  bring  to  reside  in  towns  all  not  eii.i!;aged  in 
agriculture  that  machinery  and  improved  ways  of  intercourse 
have  created,  has  already  been  illustrated  by  the  example  of 
England  and  some  of  our  older  States.  Up  to  this  time,  our 
JS"orth  American  valley  has  exhibited  but  few  striking  evidences 
of  this  tendency.  Its  population  is  about  10,500,000;  but,  with 
the  exception  of  jSTew  Orleans,  Cincinnati,  and  Montreal,  it  has 
no  large  towns.  Asa  whole,  it  has  been  too  sparselj'  settled  to 
build  up  many.  Too  intent  on  drawing  out  the  resources  of  our 
exuberantly  rich  soil,  we  have  neglected  the  introduction  of  those 
manufactures  and  mechanic  arts  that  give  agricultural  produc- 
tions their  chief  value  by  furnishing  an  accessible  market. 
This  mistake,  however,  is  rajndly  bringing  about  its  own  remcd}-. 
In  Ohio,  the  oldest  (not  in  time  but  in  maturity)  of  our  Western 
States,  tho  arts  of  manuf.cture  have  commenced  their  appro- 
pria'o  business  of  building  towns.  Cincinnati,  with  its  subui'bs, 
has  upwards  of  50,000  inhabitants ;  a  larger  proportion  of  whom 
are  engaged  in  manufactures  and  trades  than  of  either  of  the 
sixteen  principal  towns  of  the  Union  except  Lowell.  The  aver- 
age proportion  so  engaged  in  all  these  towns  is  1  to  8.79.  la 
Cincinnati  it  is  1  to  4.50.  Indeed,  our  interior  capital  has  but 
two  towns  (New  York  and  Philadelphia)  before  her  in  number 
of  persons  engaged  in  manufactures  and  trades.  Our  smaller 
towns,  Uayton,  Zanesville,  Columbus,  and  Steubenville,  having 
each  about  6,000  inhabitants,  have  nearly  an  equal  proportion 
engaged  in  tho  same  occupation. 

These  examples  are  valuable  only  as  indicating  the  direction  to 
which  the  industry  of  our  people  tends  in  those  portions  of  the 
West  where  population  has  attained  a  considerable  degree  of 
density.  Of  the  ten  and  a  half  millions  now  inhabiting  this 
valley,  little  more  than  half  a  million  live  in  towns;  leaving 
about  ten  millions  employed  in  making  farms  out  of  the  wilds, 
and  producing  human  food  and  materials  for  manufactures. 
When,  in  1890,  our  number  reaches  5^,000,000,  according  to  our 
estimate,  there  will  be  but  one-third  of  this  number,  to-wit: 
18,000,000,  employed  in  agriculture  and  rural  trades.  Of  the 
increase  up  to  that  time  (being  42,500,000),  8,000,000  will  go 
into  rural  occupations,  and  34,500,000  into  towns.  This  would 
people  sixty-nine  towns  with  each  half  a  million. 

Should  we,  yielding  to  the  opinion  of  those  who  may  believe 
that  more  than  one-third  of  our  people  will  bo  required  for  agri- 
culture and  rural  trades,  make  tho  estimal,e  on  the  supposition 
that  one-half  tho  population  of  our  vallc}',  forty-seven  years 
hereafter,  Avill  live  on  farms,  and  in  viHages  below  tho  rank  of 
towns,  the  account  will  stand  thus:  20,500,000  (being  tho  one- 
half  of  53,000,000  in  tho  valley)  will  be  tho  amount  of  the  rural 
population  ;  so  that  it  mu:>t  receive  16,500,000  in  addition  to  the 


100  CHANGE   OP   NATIONAL   EMPIRE. 

10,000,000  it  now  has.  The  towns,  in  the  same  time,  will  have 
an  increase  of  26,000,000,  in  addition  to  the  500,000  now  in 
them.  Where  will  these  towns  be,  and  in  what  proportion  will 
they  possess  the  26,500,000  inhabitants  ? 

These  are  interesting  questions,  and  not  so  impracticable  of 
an  approximately  correct  solution  as,  at  first  blush,  they  may 
seem. 

One  of  them  will  be  either  St.  Louis  or  Alton.  Everybody 
will  be  ready  to  admit  that.  Still  more  beyond  the  reach  of 
doubt  or  cavil  is  Cincinnati.  We  might  name  also  Pitti^burgh 
and  Louisville  ;  but  we  trust  that  our  readers,  who  havt^  followed 
us  through  our  former  articles,  are  ready  to  concur  in  the 
opinion  that  the  greatest  cily  of  the  Mississippi  basin  w^ill  be 
either  Cincinnati  or  the  town  near  the  mouth  of  the  Missouri, 
be  it  Alton  or  St.  Louis.  Within  our  period  of  forty-seven 
years,  we  have  no  doubt  it  will  be  Cincinnati.  She  is  now  in 
the  midst  of  a  population  so  great  and  so  thriving,  and,  on  the 
completion  of  the  Miami  canal,  which  will  be  within  two  j'ears, 
she  will  so  monopolize  the  exchange  commerce  at  that  end  of  the 
canal  between  the  river  and  lake  regions,  that  it  is  not  reasona- 
ble to  expect  that  she  can  be  overtaken  by  her  Western  rival  lor 
half  a  century. 

But  such  has  been  the  influx  of  settlers  within  the  last  few 
years  to  the  lake  region,  and  so  decided  has  become  the  tendency 
of  the  production  of  the  upper  and  middle  regions  of  the  great 
valley  to  seek  a  market  at  and  through  the  lakes,  that  we  can 
no  longer  withstand  the  conviction  that,  even  within  the  short 
period  of  forty-seven  years,  a  town  will  grow  up  on  the  lake 
border  greater  than  Cincinnati.  The  following  facts,  it  is 
believed,  will  force  the  same  conviction  to  our  readers : 

The  States  of  Ohio,  Indiana,  and  Illinois,  are  bordered  by  both 
lake  and  river.  All  have  large  river  accommodation,  but 
Illinois  has  it  to  an  unrivaled  extent,  whereas  it  has  but  one 
lake  port. 

Now  let  us  see  what  has  been  the  relative  and  positive  growth 
of  the  river  region  and  lake  region  of  those  States,  from  1830 
to  1S40.  Southern  Ohio,  including  all  south  of  the  National 
road,  and  the  counties  north  of  that  road  which  touch  the  Ohio 
river,  had,  in  1830,  550,000  inhabitants,  and  in  1840  730,000; 
showing  an  increase  of  180,000 — equal  to  333  per  cent.  North- 
ern Ohio,  in  1830,  numbered  but  390,000,  which  in  1840  had 
increased  to  805,000;  exhibiting  an  inci-ease  of  415,000,  or  105 
per  cent.  In  1830,  Southern  Ohio  had  160,000  more  than 
Northern  Ohio;  whereas,  in  1840,  the  latter  excelled  the  former 
75,000.  The  preponderance  of  the  lake  region  has  not  been 
owing  to  the  superiority  of  its  soil,  or  the  beauty  of  its  surface ; 
for,  iu  these  respects,  it  is  inferior  to  its  Southern  rival. 


CHANGE   OF   NATIONAL   EMPIRE.  101 

Let  us  now  see  how  the  river  and  lake  regions  of  Indiana  com- 
pare, in  1830  and  1840.     The  National  road  is  the  dividing  line : 

Southern  Indiana  had  in  1S30 252,000 

NortluM-n  Indiana  liad  in  1830....  S  >,000 

Southern  Indiana  had  in  1840 3!J7,0U0 

Northern  Indiana  had  in  1840 278,000 

Southern  Indiana,  in  1S30  ;;;;;;;;  j;J^;g;;j;|  Gain  145,000,  or  5S  per  cent. 

Nortliern  Indiana  had  in  1S;{|» S!).Oi)U\  Showinjr  a   or;ihi   of  189,000,    or 

"      "1840 278,000/     212  per  cent. 

Such  has  been  the  rapidity  of  settlement  of  the  northern 
counties  of  Indiana,  for  the  three  years  since  the  census  was 
taken,  that  we  cannot  doubt  that  the  north  has  nearly  over- 
taken, in  positive  numbers,  the  south  half. 

Illinois  exhibits  the  preference  given  for  the  lake  region  in  a 
still  more  striking  manner.  A  line  drawn  along  the  north 
boundaries  of  Edgar  and  Coles  counties,  and  thence  direct  to 
the  town  of  Quincy,  on  the  Mississippi,  will  divide  the  State 
into  two  nearly  equal  parts.  The  three  counties  of  Morgan, 
Sangamon,  and  j\[acon,  we  divide  equally,  and  give  tvvo-thirds  of 
Adams  to  the  north  and  one-third  to  the  south. 

Southern  Illinois  had  in  1S30 122,7.32 

Northern  Illinois  had  in  1830 33,8j2 

Southern  lilinoi>  iiad  in  1840 242,873 

Northern  Illinois  liad  in  1S40 232,222 

Southern  Illinois,  in  1830 122.732  \  Showing  a  ofain  of  120,141,  equal 

ISIO 242,873  r     to  97  per  cent. 

Northern  Illinois  had  in  18::0 33,852  iSho\vin<?  a  <^ain  of  198,370,  equal 

"  "  1840 232,222/      to  5Sb  per  cent. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  with  those  who  know  the  course  of 
immigration  that  Northern  Illinois,  at  this  time,  contains  many 
thousands  more  than  Southern  Illinois. 

It  may  be  said  that  the  lake  region  of  these  States,  being  of 
more  recent  settlement,  and  having  more  vacant  land,  has, 
chiefly  on  that  account,  increased  more  than  the  river  region. 
This  might  account  for  a  higher  ratio,  but  it  would  not  account 
for  a  greater  amount  of  increase.  For  instance :  the  State  of 
New  York,  between  1820  and  1830,  had  a  greater  amount  of 
increase  than  any  Western  State,  though  most  of  them  increased 
in  a  far  higher  ratio.  So,  by  the  census  of  1810,  it  appears  that 
the  amount  of  increase  of  Ohio  for  the  ten  years  previous  was 
about  three  times  as  great  as  that  of  Michigan,  ahhough  the 
ratio  of  increase  of  ^Michigan  was  more  than  nine  times  as  high 
as  that  of  Ohio. 

Let  us  compare,  then,  the  amount  of  increase  of  the  lake  and 
river  regions  of  these  States  : 


102  CHANGE  OP  NATIONAL  EMPIRE. 

r  Northern  Ohio 413,000 

Increase  from  1S30  to  1840  of -^         "        Indiana 189.000 

(         "         Illinois 198,370 

800,370 

f  Southern  Ohio 180,000 

Increase  from  1830  to  1840  of-^         "         Indiana 145,000 

i         "         Illinois 120,141 

445,141 

Arkansas  and  Michigan,  were  it  not  that  the  latter  has  the 
advantage  of  not  holding  slaves,  would  afford  almost  a  perfect 
illustration  of  the  prefei'ence  given  to  the  lake  region  over  the 
river  country.  Each  has  extraordinaiy  advantages  of  naviga- 
tion of  its  peculiar  kind.  No  State  in  the  valley  has  as  extensive 
river  navigation  as  Arkansas,  and  no  State  can  claim  to  rival 
Michigan  in  extent  of  navigable  lake  coast. 

In  1830,  Michigan  had  a  population  of 32,538 

"      Arkansas       "  "  30,388 

In  1840,  Michigan  numbered 212  276 

'•      Arkansas         "         97,578 

These  facts  exhibit  the  difference  in  favor  of  the  lake  country 
eufficient  to  satisfy  the  candid  inquirer  that  there  must  be  potent 
causes  in  operation  to  produce  such  results.  Some  of  these 
causes  are  apparent,  and  others  have  been  little  understood  or 
appreciated.  The  staple  exports,  wheat  and  flour,  have  for 
years  bo  notoriously  found  their  best  markets  at  the  lake  towns, 
that  every  cultivator,  who  reasons  at  all,  has  come  to  know  the 
advantage  of  having  his  farm  as  near  as  possible  to  lake  navi- 
gation. This  has,  for  some  years  past,  brought  immigrants  to 
the  lake  country  from  the  river  region  of  these  States,  and  from 
the  States  of  Pennsylvania,  Maryland,  and  Virginia,  which  for- 
merly sent  their  immigrants  mostly  to  the  river  borders.  The 
river  region,  too,  not  being  able  to  compete  with  its  northern 
neighbor  in  the  production  of  wheat,  and  being  well  adapted  to 
the  growth  of  stock,  has  of  late  gone  more  into  this  department 
of  husbandry.  This  business,  in  some  portions,  almost  brings 
the  inhabitants  to  a  purely  pastoral  state  of  society,  in  which 
large  bodies  of  land  ai-e  of  necessity  used  by  a  small  number  of 
inhabitants.  These  causes  are  obviously  calculated  to  give  a 
dense  population  to  the  lake  country,  and  a  comparatively  sparse 
settlement  to  the  river  country.  There  are  other  causes  not  so 
obvious,  but  not  less  potent  or  enduring.  Of  these,  the  superior 
accessibility  of  the  lake  country  from  the  great  northern  hives 
of  emigration,  Kcw  England  and  New  York,  is  first  deserving 
attention.  B3'  means  of  the  Erie  canal  to  Oswego  and  Buffalo, 
and  the  railway  from  Boston  to    Buffalo,  with   its   radiating 


CHANGE    or    NATIONAL   EMPIRE.  303 

branches,  these  States  ai*e  brought  within  a  few  hours'  ride  of 
our  great  central  lake;  and  at  an  expense  of  time  and  money 
80  small  as  to  offer  but  slight  impediment  to  the  removal  of 
home  and  household  gods.  The  lakes,  too,  are  about  being 
traversed  by  a  class  of  vessels,  to  be  propelled  bj'  steam  and 
Avind,  called  Ei'iesson  propellers,  which  will  carry  immigrants 
with  certainty  and  safety,  and  at  greatly  reduced  expense. 

European  emigration  hither,  which  tirst  was  counted  b}'  its. 
annual  thousands,  then  by  its  tens  of  thousands,  has  at  length 
swelled  to  its  hundred  thousands,  in  the  ports  of  New  York 
and  (Quebec,  These  are  both  but  appropriate  doors  to  the  lake 
countiy.  It  is  clear,  then,  that  the  lake  portion  will  be  more 
populous  than  the  river  division  of  the  great  valley.  This  i& 
one  reason  wh}'  the  former  should  build  up  and  sustain  larger 
towns  than  the  latter. 

It  has  been  proved  that  an  extensive  and  increasing  portion 
of  the  river  region  seeks  an  outlet  for  its  surplus  productions 
through  the  lakes.  In  addition  to  the  proof  given  on  that  sub- 
ject, we  will  compare  the  exports  of  breadstuifs  and  provisions 
of  New  Orleans  and  Cleveland — the  former  for  the  year  begin- 
ning 1st  of  September,  1841,  and  ending  olst  August,  18-12; 
and  the  latter  for  the  season  of  canal  navigation,  in  1842.  All 
the  receipts  of  Cleveland,  by  canal,  are  estimated  as  exports, 
as  there  is  no  doubt  that  she  receives,  coastwise  and  by  wagon, 
more  than  enough  to  feed  her  people.  The  exports  from  New 
Orleans  of  the  enumerated  articles,  and  their  ^Jrice,  are  as  stated 
in  No.  4,  vol.  7,  of  this  magazine.  Of  the  articles,  then,  of 
flour,  pork,  bacon,  lard,  beef,  whisky,  corn,  and  wheat — 

New  Orleans  exported  to  the  value  of. $4,44G,9Sf> 

Cleveland  "  '•  4,431,731> 

The  other  articles  of  breadstuffs  and  provisions  received  at 
New  Oi'leans  during  that  year  from  the  interior  arc  of  small 
amount,  and  obviously  not  sufficient  for  the  consumption  of  the 
city.  Not  so  with  Cleveland.  The  other  articles  of  grain  and 
provisions,  shipped  last  year  from  this  port,  added  to  the  above, 
Avill  throw  the  balance  decidedly  in  her  favor.  If  we  suppose,, 
what  can  not  but  be  true,  that  all  the  other  ports  of  the 
upper  lakes  sent  eastward  as  much  as  Cleveland,  wo  have  the 
startling  fact  that  the  lake  country,  but  yesterday  brought  under 
our  notice,  already  sends  abroail  more  than  twice  the  amount  of 
human  food  that  is  shipped  from  the  great  exporting  city  of 
New  Orleans,  the  once-vaunted  sole  outlet  of  the  Mississippi 
valle}'.  Another  striking  fact,  in  favor  of  the  position  that  on 
the  lakes  are  to  be  the  leading  commercial  cities  of  our  valley, 
is  the  growth  of  Cleveland,  compared  with  Portsmouth.      Whoa 


104  GRANGE    OF    NATIONAL   EMPIRE. 

the  Ohio  canal  was  completed,  that  portion  of  the  State  traversed 
by  it,  lying  nearest  to  Portsmouth,  was  superior  in  popuhition 
and  productiveness  to  that  which  was  nearest  Cleveland. 
Portsmouth  is  at  the  river  end  of  the  canal,  and  Cleveland  at 
the  lake  end  : 

Portsmouth,  including  the  township  in  which  it  is  situated,  num- 
bered, in  1830 1,464 

In  1S4U 1'844 

Increase  of  Portsmouth,  including  the  township,  in  ten  j'ears 380 

Cleveland  village  numbered,  in  1830 1,076 

city,  including  Ohio*  City,  in  1840 7,64S 

Increase  of  Cleveland  in  ten  years 7,572 

The  case  of  Alton  and  Chicago  is  calculated  to  illustrate  the 
same  position.  The  former  is  eo  finely  situated  on  the  Missis- 
sippi, just  above  the  entrance  of  the  turbulent  Missouri,  at  the 
best  point  for  concentrating  the  river  trade  on  all  sides,  and 
doing  the  business  of  one  ot  the  finest  and  best  settled  portions 
of  LlTinois,  that  we  have  thought  it  might  yet  excel  St.  Louis, 
and  perhaps  rival  Cincinnati.  The  country  in  its  rear  was  set- 
tled long  before  that  Ij-ing  back  of  Chicago,  and  Alton,  in 
consequence,  sooner  became  an  important  commercial  point. 
How  many  inhabitants  it  had  in  1830,  we  have  at  hand  no  means 
of  ascertaining.  Certain  it  is  that,  at  that  time,  it  was  far 
more  populous  than  Chicago  : 

In  1840,  Alton  numbered '---^-lO 

Cliicago       "        4,4<0 

Two  short  canals — one  of  about  one  hundred  miles,  connect- 
ing the  Illinois  canal  with  the  Mississipin,  at  or  near  the  mouth 
of^Rock  river;  and  the  other  of  about  one  hundred  and 
seventj^-five  miles,  connecting  the  southern  termination  of 
the  Wabash  and  Erie  canal,  at  Terre  Haute,  with  the  Missis- 
sippi  at  Alton — would,  with  the  canals  already  finished  or  in 
progress,  secure  to  the  lakes  not  less,  probably,  than  three- 
fou^ths  of  all  the  external  trade  of  the  river  valley  With  the 
Wabash  and  Kfie,  and  the  Miami  canal  brought  fairly  into  ope- 
ration, the  lakes  will  make  a  heavy  draft  on  the  trade  of  the 
river  valley;  and  every  canal,  and  railroad,  and  good  highway, 
carried  from  the  lakes,  or  lake  improvements,  into  that  valley, 
will  a<id  to  the  draft.  The  lake  towns  will  then  not  only  have 
a  denser  population  in  the  region  immediately  about  them,  and 
mo!i'>polize  all  the  trade  of  that  region,  but  they   will  have  at 

•Ohio  City  is  separated  from  Cleveland  only  by  a  rarrow  stream,  and  has  grown 
since  1830. 


CHANGE    OF   NATIONAL   EMPIRE.  105 

least  half  Iho  trade  of  the  river  region.  They  will  be  nearer 
and  more  accessible  to  the  great  marts  of  trade  and  commerce 
of  the  old  States  and  the  old  world,  and  this  advantage  will  be 
o-rowing,  in  consequence  of  the  progressive  removal  of  impedi- 
ments to  navigation  between  the  lakes  and  the  ocean. 

The  facts  we  have  adduced,  taken  altogether,  seem  conclusive 
in  favor  of  the  lake  towns.  As  a  body,  they  come  out  of  the 
investigation  decidedly  triumphant.  But  how  shall  wo  decide 
on  their  relative  merits?  There  are  several  whose  citizens 
would  claim  pre-eminence  for  each — Oswego,  Buffalo,  Cleveland, 
the  Maumee  town  (be  it  Maumee  City  or  Toledo),  Detroit,  and 
Chicago.  Unless  we  have  failed  in  our  opening  article.  New 
Orleans,  Montreal,  and  Quebec,  although  destined  greatly  to 
increase  in  size  and  wealth,  may  be  left  out  of  the  contest. 

Oswego  has  a  fine  position  as  a  point  of  shipment  between 
the  lakes  and  the  Eastern  States ;  and,  on  the  completion  of  the 
enlarged  Welland  canal,  she  will  pi'obably  gain  rapidly  on  Buffalo 
in  amount  of  goods  for  wanted  ^Yest  and  produce  of  the  lakes 
sent  to  the  Hudson.  Her  water-power  will  enable  her  to  com- 
pete successfully  with  Eochester  in  the  manufacture  of  flour,  and 
it  must,  before  many  years,  be  used  extensively^  in  other  manu- 
factures. As  a  point  for  the  wholesale  or  jobbing  of  goods,  she 
will  be  infoi'ior  to  Buffalo.  But  both  towns  are  too  near  and  too 
convenient  to  New  York  and  Boston  to  become  great  marts  for 
the  sale  of  European  and  Eastern  manufactures.  Buffalo,  in  her 
suburb  of  Black  Eock,  has  an  almost  exhaustless  water-power, 
which,  long  within  the  period  of  forty-seven  years,  will  make  her 
a  considerable  manufacturing  town.  If  the  Erie  canal  enlarge- 
ment should  be  delayed  many  yeai's  after  the  completion  of  the 
AVelland  canal,  it  would  not  surprise  us  to  see  Oswego  overtake 
Buffalo  in  size  and  business. 

Buffalo  has  a  cramped  harbor,  and,  like  Oswego,  she  has  but  a 
small  country  in  her  rear  to  sustain  her  trade.  Her  position  for 
carrying  on  "foreign  trade,  after  the  enlargement  of  the  Welland 
canal,  will  be  less  favorable  than  Cleveland,  Maumee,  Detroit,  or 
Chicago.  But,  before  entering  on  the  compai'ison  of  Buffalo 
and  Cleveland,  it  will  be  well  to  lay  down  some  principles  that 
may  be  reasonably  supposed  to  control  or  influence  their  future 
growth.  And  first,  it  may  be  asserted  that  a  position  favorable 
to  an  interchange  of  productions  of  a  large  country  lying  about 
it,  is  more  advantageous  than  a  situation  wliich  merely  favors 
the  passage  of  a  great  amount  of  productions  through  it.  Bos- 
ton and  Charleston  will  illustrate  this  principle.  The  former 
exchanges,  in  her  own  market,  the  productions  gathered  into  it 
from  the  coast,  from  the  interior,  and  from  foreign  countries. 
Charleston  is  far  less  a  gathering  point  of  commodities,  but  has 
a  much  larger  value  passing  through  the  hands  of  her  merchants : 
7 


106  CIIANQE    OF    NATIONAL   EMPIRE. 

Boston,  between  1830  and  ISiO,  increased 33,011 

Charleston,  "  '*  "      decreased 1,62S 

Other  onuses,  no  donbt,  aided  in  this  result;  !)ut  tlmt  under 
consideration  we  believe  to  have  been  the  chief. 

Second.  While  a  country  is  new,  the  first  exchanges  will  be  of 
agricultural  ])roducts  of  one  climate  for  those  of  a  different 
climate,  and  of  agricultural  products  for  manufactured  articles 
of  fii'st  necessity.  As  society  progresses  in  weaUh,  in  addition 
to  these  articles,  finer  Aibrics  and  of  greater  variety  become  the 
subject  of  exchange;  so  that  when  its  condition  approximates 
that  of  England,  much  of  its  exchangeable  capital  comes  to  be 
composed  of  the  highly  wrought  productions  of  the  various 
cities — each  mainl}^  engaged  in  its  own  peculiar  production,  and 
therefore  dependent  on  all  the  others  for  all  its  articles  of  con- 
sumption, except  the  one  article  of  its  own  fabrication. 

Let  us  apply  these  principles.  Buffalo  has  the  advantage  of  a 
greater  transit  of  produce  and  goods.  In  the  former,  however, 
she  is  not  very  much  in  advance,  and  Cleveland  is  rapidly  gain- 
ing upon  her.  In  proportion  to  her  population,  Cleveland  is 
ah'eady  far  ahead.  As  to  goods  passing  to  the  upper  lakes  from 
the  old  States  and  Europe,  Buffalo  will  divide  chietl}'  with  Oswego 
the  advantages  of  their  receipt  and  shipment  up  the  lakes.  Hers, 
for  some  time  to  come,  v>'i!l  be  the  lion's  share— at  least  until  the 
completion  of  the  Canadian  improvements.  But  these  goods, 
though  of  great  value,  will  employ  no  great  amount  of  tonnage, 
especiall}'  when  sugar,  molasses,  cotton,  rice,  and  tobacco,  shall 
be  sent  to  the  lakes  by  the  Miami  and  Illinois  canals,  as  will 
soon  be  the  ease. 

Long  within  the  period  under  consideration,  the  position  of 
Cleveland  avIU  be  much  more  favorable  for  concentrating  the 
business  of  the  surrounding  country  than  that  of  Buffalo. 
Canada  will,  before  that  time,  form  a  part  of  our  commercial 
community,  whether  she  be  associated  with  us  in  the  government 
or  not.  She  will  then  have  about  five  millions  of  people.  The 
American  shores  of  the  lakes  lying  above  the  latitude  of  Cleve- 
land wnll  be  still  more  populous. 

Cleveland  is  the  lake  port  for  the  great  manufacturitjg  hive  at 
the  head  of  the  Ohio  river — so  made  by  the  Mahoning  canal, 
which  connects  her  with  Pittsburgh.  She  commands,  and  she 
will  long  command,  by  means  of  her  five  hundred  miles  of  canal 
and  slack-water  navigation,  the  trade  of  a  part  of  Western 
Pennsylvania,  most  of  Western  Virginia,  and  nearly  all  the  east 
half  of  the  State  of  Ohio,  in  the  intercourse  of  their  inhabitants 
Avith  the  lake  coasts,  the  Eastern  Slates,  Canada,  and  Europe. 
Her  position  is  handsome;  and,  although  her  water-power  is 
small,  the  low  price  of  coal  will  enable  her  to  sustain  herself  as 


CHANGE     OP    NATIONAL   EMPIRE.  107 

a  respectable  manufacturinii;  town.  Her  harbor,  like  that  of 
Buffalo,  thnuiih  ea^y  of  cutranco,  is  not  sufiicicntly  capacious.  If 
coal  should  not  be  found  on  Lake  Huron,  more  accessible  to 
navigation  than  the  beds  on  the  canal  south  of  Cleveland,  this 
article  vrill  trrcatly  increase  her  trade  with  the  other  lake  ports. 
It  is  now  sold  on  her  wharves  at  eight  cents  per  bu^hel. 

A  glance  at  a  map  of  the  country  will  suffice  to  show  that 
Buffalo  is  not  well  situated  to  be  a  place  for  the  exchange  of 
agricultural  productions  of  the  cold  regions  for  those  of  the  warm 
regions  of  the  valley.     In  that  respect  Cleveland,  though  not 
unrivaled,  is  clearly"  in  a  better  position  than  Buffalo.      As  a 
point  for  exchanging  the  products  of  the  field  for  manufactured 
goods,  Buffalo  will  not  probably  for  any  long  time  have  the 
advantage  of  Cleveland.     Such  traders  as  live  within  the  influ- 
ence of  the  canals  and  rivers  that  pour  their  surplus  products 
into  Cleveland,  and  stop  short  of  ISew  York  and  Boston,  will,  it 
seems  to  us,  be  more  likely  to  purchase  in   Cleveland  than  in 
Buffalo,      Xot  every  man"^  Avho  supplies  a  neighborhood  with 
store-goods  relishes  a  voyage  on  the  sometimes  tempest-tossed 
Avaters  of  the  lake ;  and,  as  we  before  remarked,  Buffalo  now 
being  but  a  few  hours'  ride  from  New  York  and  Boston,  by  a 
pleasant  and  safe  conveyance,  will  hardly  stop  many  purchasers 
of  goods  from  those  great  markets.     On  the  completion  of  the 
Canadian  canals,  Cleveland  will  have  the  advantage  of  Buffalo^ 
in  foreign   trade,  for  the   following   reasons :    Her   articles  of 
export  will  bo  cheaper,  and  by  that  time,  as  we  believe,  more 
abundant.     By  means  of  her  canals  and  roads  Cleveland  is  a 
primary  gathering-point  of  these  articles.     Not  so  Buffalo.     To 
arrive  at  her  storehouses,  these  products  must  be  shipped  from 
the  storehouses  of  other  ports  up  the  lakes,  where  the}--  must  be 
presumed  to  bcir  nearly  the  same  price  as  at  Cleveland.     The 
cost  of  this  sbinmeut,  together  with  a  profit  on  it,  will  then  be 
added;  and,  by  so  much,  enhance  their  price  in  Buffalo.     A  ves- 
sel entering  Luke  Erie  by  the  Welland  canal,  seeking  a  cargo  for 
a  foreign  port,  v,-ould  therefore  clearly  ]n'cfer  going  to  the  head 
of  the  market,  where  it  could  be  bought  at  the  cheapest  rate. 
If  the  difteren-v!  in  price  of  exportable  products,  between  the 
market  at  Buffalo  and  the  maket  at  Cleveland,  is  such  as  to  war- 
rant the  payment  of  a  freight    to  Buffalo,  and  the  cost  of   a 
transhipment  there  to  the  foreign  vessel,  there  can  be  no  doubt 
of  its  being  the  interest  of  the  foreign  vessel  to  proceed  directly 
to  Cleveland  for  her  cargo ;  and  so  to  any  other  considerable 
market  on  Lake  Erie,  and  probably  the  lakes  above.     It  seems 
likely,  therefore,  that  within  our  allotted  period  of  forty-seven 
years  Cleveland  will  be  larger  than  Buffalo  or  Oswego. 

Is  it  probable  that,   within    the  period  under  consideration, 
Cleveland  will  have  a  successful  rival  in  Maumee,  Detroit,  or 


108  CHANGE    OF    NATIONAL   EMPIRE. 

Chicago?  It  will  be  proper,  on  account  of  its  comparative 
obscurity  and  the  peculiarity  of  its  position,  for  us  to  explain  in 
regard  to  Maumee. 

The  estuary  of  the  Maumee  river  receives  the  tide  of  Lake 
Erie,  and  the  waters  of  the  river,  at  a  point  thirteen  miles  above 
its  mouth.  This  estuary  forms  a  harbor  of  Lake  Erie,  thirteen 
miles  long,  with  a  navigable  channel  of  about  one  hundred  rods. 
Its  depth,  in  a  low  stage  of  the  lake,  is  from  six  and  a  half  to 
twenty-four  feet.  It  is  entered  by  a  wide  channel  through  the  bay, 
having  in  its  shoalest  part  8.25  feet  when  the  lake  is  in  its  lowest 
stage.  On  the  southwest  end  of  this  harbor  Maumee  City  and 
Perry sburg  are  situated,  the  former  on  the  north  and  the  latter 
on  the  south  bank.  Both  are  on  the  same  plane,  sixty-three  feet 
above  the  harbor.  Eight  miles  below,  on  the  north  bank,  is 
Toledo,  most  of  it  on  a  plane  about  forty-five  feet  high ;  and 
three  or  four  miles  below  Toledo  is  Manhattan,  elevated  in  its 
highest  part  about  twenty-five  feet  above  the  water.  Their 
population,  respectively,  including  the  civil  township,  was, 
according  to  the  census  of  1840 — Maumee  City,  1,290;  Perrys- 
burg,  1,065;  Toledo,  2,053;  Manhattan,  282.  Each  of  these 
places  has  access  to  the  canal  by  a  side-cut  and  flight  of  locks. 
It  is  not  our  purpose  to  decide  on  their  relative  merits ;  but  for 
convenience,  and  because  it  is  the  name  of  the  harbor,  we  will 
call  the  successful  point  Maumee. 

The  contest  is  now  fairly  narrowed  down  to  Cleveland,  Mau- 
mee, Detroit,  and  Chicago.  Which  of  these  will  be  greatest  in 
1890?  We  have  shown  in  a  previous  article  (No.  2  of  this 
series)  that  the  Miami  canal  route  will  command  the  Eastern  and 
European  trade  of  Kentucky,  most  of  Tennessee,  large  portions 
of  Ohio,  Indiana,  and  Illinois,  and  small  portions  of  Missouri, 
Arkansas,  Mississippi,  and  Alabama.  So  long,  then,  as  this  East- 
ern and  European  trade  shall  continue  of  paramount  importance 
to  the  great  country  embraced  by  the  description  above,  as  con- 
trolled by  the  Miami  canal,  so  long  must  the  point  most  favoi'ably 
situated  at  its  lake  termination  have  the  advantage  of  the  other 
lake  towns.  We  have  also  shown,  in  the  same  article,  that  tho 
interior  exchanges,  the  exclusive  home-trade  of  the  JSTorth 
American  valley,  between  the  lake  regions  of  the  north  and  the 
river  regions  of  the  south,  will  be  chiefly  carried  on  through  the 
same  Miami  canal.  Of  the  towns  now  under  comparison,  Maumee 
is  the  smallest  and  Detroit  the  largest.  This,  in  the  minds  of 
the  superficial,  will  be  taken  as  conclusive  in  favor  of  the  latter. 
The  claim,  in  favor  of  a  town  just  emerging  from  tho  forest  to 
rival,  at  a  future  time,  an  already  populous  city,  is  usually  met 
by  ridicule  from  such  pei'sons;  and,  in  general,  is  treated  with 
little  attention  or  respect  by  any  class.  We  dare  sa}''  that  when 
the  people  of  the  city  of  old  and  renowned  York  were  informed 


CHANGE    OF   NATIONAL   EMPIRE.  109 

that,  in  the  "wilds  of  America;  some  settlers  had  named  their  col- 
lection of  rude  houses  Now  York,  they  felt  no  otheV  emotion 
than  contempt,  and  treated  the  presumptuous  ambition  of  the 
settlers  with  derision.  It  is  probable  that  the  settlers  of  old  Bos-' 
ton  held  in  like  contempt  the  assumption  of  the  name  of  their 
town  by  those  who  planted  the  capital  of  JSTew  England.  Who, 
forty-seven  years  ago,  would  not  have  ridiculed  the  opinion,  if 
any  one  had  been  visionary  enough  to  express  it,  that,  within 
that  time,  there  would  grow  up  in  the  valley  of  the  Ohio  a 
city  containing  fiftj'  thousand  inhabitants;  and  that,  within  the 
same  period,  that  part  of  the  Northwestern  territorj-,  now  com- 
posing the  vState  of  Ohio,  would  contain  nearly  two  millions  of 
people  ?  We  then  had,  as  a  basis  of  increase,  but  four  millions; 
whereas  it  is  now  over  eighteen  millions — and,  including  Canada, 
near  twenty  millions.  For  the  past  forty-seven  years,  our 
growth  has  been  from  four  millions  to  near  twent}-  millions. 
During  the  next  forty-seven  years  it  will  be,  according  to  our 
estimate,  from  near  twenty  millions  to  seventy-seven  millions  j 
or,  according  to  the  more  elaborate  and  probably  more  correct 
estimate  of  Professor  Tucker,  fifty-five  millions.  This  increase 
will  certainly  make  it  necessary  that  many  towns,  now  small, 
should  become  great;  and  sensible  men,  when  contemplating 
their  probable  destiny  for  half  a  century  in  advance,  will  look  at 
the  natural  and  artificial  advantages  of  our  lake  towns,  rather 
than  at  the  few  thousands,  more  or  less,  of  the  present  popula- 
tion. The  towns  under  consideration  are  all  destined  to  be  large. 
The  leading  advantages  of  Cleveland  have  been  already  stated. 
Detroit  has  a  pleasant  site  and  a  noble  harbor.  A  few  Mcxldam 
roads,  leading  north,  northwest,  and  west,  into  the  interior, 
would  give  her  the  direct  trade  of  a  large  and  fertile  portion  of 
Michigan.  Until  such  roads,  or  a  reasonaldy  good  substitute, 
are  made,  the  railwa3's  leading  north  and  west  will,  at  least  while 
they  are  new  and  in  good  order,  make  the  chief  gathering  points 
of  trade  at  their  interior  terminations  and  at  convenient,  points 
on  their  line.  Pontiac,  Ypsilanti,  Ann  Arbor,  and  other  towns 
Avest,  will  cut  off  from  Detroit,  and  center  in  themselves  the 
direct  trade  with  the  farmers,  which,  with  good  wagon  roads, 
without  the  railwaj-s,  would  have  centered  in  Detroit.  One 
train  of  cars  will  now  bring  to  her  warehouses  what  would  have 
been  brought  to  her  stores  by  one  hundred  wagons.  These 
wagons  would  have  carried  back  store-goods  and  the  products  of 
Detroit  mechanics,  whereas  these  will  now  be  bought  in  the  inte- 
rior towns,  iiost  of  the  money  borrowed  by  Michigan,  and  for 
which  she  is  so  largely  in  debt,  has  been  expended  with  a  view 
to  center  the  trade  of  the  State  mainly  in  Detroit  and  Monroe; 
but  we  much  doubt  whether  the  effect  of  the  railways  constructed 
for  that  purpose  will  not  be  the  reverse  of  what  was  anticipated 


110  CHANGE    OF    NATIONAL   EMPIRE. 

by  their  projectors.  The  effect  of  the  Erie  and  Kalamazoo  rail- 
way, from  Toledo  to  Adrian,  has  been  to  convert  a  small  clustei' 
of  houses  at  the  latter  place  into  a  flourishincr  town  of  near  two 
thousand  inhabitants;  Avhilc  at  Toledo  its  effect  has  been  mainly 
perceptible  in  the  tilling  a  few  warehouses  v.-ith  produce  and 
goods,  and  leaving  its  business  street  nearly  deserted  of  wagons^ 
and  its  hotels  almost  destitute  of  auy  but  minute-men  travelers. 
Wo  do  not  believe  that  machines  so  expensive  and  so  compli- 
cated in  their  construction  and  operation  as  railways  can  be 
sustained  in  an  agricultural  country  so  new  and  sparsely  settled 
as  Michigan.  But  whether  this  is  a  correct  view  or  not  matters 
little  to  Detroit,  if,  as  we  suppose,  her  railways  will  but  substi- 
tute trains  of  cars,  passing  through  to  her  warehouses,  for  the 
throng  of  wagons  that,  but  for  her  raihvays,  would  have  crowded 
her  broad  avenue.  The  extent  of  country  that  will  find  in 
Detroit  its  most  convenient  point  of  exchanges  is  not  very  great, 
yet  suuicient  when  well  settled  and  improved  to  sustain  her  in  a 
considerable  advance  beyond  her  present  size  and  business. 

If  we  now  narrow  down  our  comparison  by  leaving  out 
Detroit,  we  trust  we  shall  be  justified  by  our  impartial  readers. 

Cleveland,  Maumeo,  and  Chicago,  only  remain  to  contest  the 
prize.  Of  these,  Maumee  alone  has  a  harbor  capacious  enough 
to  accommodate  the  commerce  of  a  great  city.  Good  harbors 
may  be  made,  without  a  very  heavy  cost,  at  Cleveland  and 
Chicago,  either  by  excavating  the  low  grounds  bordering  their 
present  harbors,  or  by  break-waters  and  piers  in  the  lakes  out- 
side. Some  expenditure  will  also  be  needed  to  deepen  the 
entrance  into  Maumee  harbor  and  to  remove  obstructions  within 
it.  In  water-power  Maumee  has  grealh'  the  advantage  over  her 
rivals.  Chicago  has  and  she  can  have  none.  Cleveland  has  but 
a  small  amount;  whereas  Maumee  has  it  to  an  extent  unrivaled 
by  any  town  on  the  lake  borders,  above  Bufl^'alo — and  it  is  so 
placed  as  to  possess  the  utmost  availability.  Along  her  harbor 
for  thirteen  miles  the  canal  passes  on  the  margin  of  the  high  bank 
that  overlooks  it.  This  canal — a  magnificent  mill-raee,  averaging 
near  seven  feet  deep,  and  seventy  feet  wide  at  the  water  line — 
is  fed  from  the  Maumee  river,  seventeen  miles  above  the  head 
of  the  harboi',  and  is  carried  down  on  the  level  of  low  water  in 
the  river  above,  for  twenty-two  miles,  to  a  point  two  miles 
below  the  head  of  the  harbor,  where  it  stands  on  a  table  land, 
sixty-three  feet  above  the  harbor.  Descending,  then,  by  a  lock, 
seven  feet,  the  next  level  is  two  males  long,  and  stands  fifty-six 
feet  above  the  harbor.  Descending  again,  by  a  lock,  seven  feet, 
the  level  below  is  three  and  a  half  miles  long,  and  stands  forty- 
nine  feet  above  the  harbor.  Again  descending,  within  the  city 
of  Toledo,  b}'-  four  locks,  thirty-four  feet,  the  next  and  last  level 
is  nearly  five  miles  long,  and  stands  fifteen  feet  above  the  harbor 


CnANGE  OF  NATIONAL  EMPIUE.  Ill 

At  many  i)oint3  of  these  thirteen  miles,  tho  water  may  be  used 
conveniently  from  the  canal  to  the  harbor;  and,  at  most  of  these 
points,  it  may  be  used  directly  on  the  harbor.  The  Board  of 
Public  AVorks,  in  their  last  report,  say:  ''From  the  experience 
the  Board  have  had  as  to  the  quantity  of  water  required  to  pro- 
pel one  pair  of  four  and  a  half  feet  mill-stones,  with  all  the 
labor-saving  machinery  necessary  for  the  manufacture  of  super- 
fine Hour,  they  are  fully  of  opinion  that  there  will  be  power 
sufficient,  that  can  be  used  on  these  levels,  to  propel  two  hundred 
and  twentj^-five  pairs  of  stone."  The  lowest  estimate  for  the 
dryest  season  allows  it  this  amount  of  povrer.  At  other  times, 
the  amount  is  so  great  that,  for  all  practicable  purposes  for 
man}'  years  to  come,  it  may  be  set  down  as  without  limit.  The 
current  occasioned  by  the  use  of  the  great  power  estimated  by 
the  Board  would  not  be  one  mile  an  hour.  If  more  should  be 
used,  so  as  to  occasion  a  current  of  one  mile  and  a  half  an  houi', 
the  obstruction  to  navigation  would  be  rather  nominal  than  real. 
The  down-freights  for  man}'  years  will  be  three  or  four  times  as 
heav}'  as  the  up-freights.  The  current,  then,  would  aid  the 
movement  of  three  or  four  tons  where  it  would  hinder  the  more- 
ment  of  one  ton.  If,  at  some  future  day,  the  water  furnished 
during  the  dry  seasons  should  not  be  sufficient  for  the  machinery 
then  needed  at  this  point,  steam  may  be  used  temporarily  during 
the  lowest  stage  of  water.  Coal  Avill  be  afforded  at  ten  cents 
per  bushel;  and  wood,  for  many  years,  will  not  cost  more  than 
SI  50  to  §2  00  per  cord.  Will  this  be  a  good  point  for  the  use 
of  water-power?  This  will  depend  on  its  facilities  for  procur- 
ing raw  materials  and  distributing  the  manufactured  articles  to 
consumers.  As  to  facilities  for  procuring  wheat  for  the  manu- 
facture of  flour,  there  can  be,  as  all  will  admit  who  know  the 
country  within  reach  of  the  canals,  no  better  point  in  the  States. 
Sheep  are  so  rapidly  multiplying  in  Indiana  and  Illinois,  and  are 
already  so  abundant  in  the  iJiami  country-  of  Ohio,  that  a  sup- 
ply of  wool  to  an  extent  beyond  any  probable  demand  for  its 
manufacture  may  be  safely  anticipated.  As  to  cotton,  it  has 
been  proved  that  the  Miami  canal  is  the  best  channel  for  its 
import  to  ihe  lakes.  From  Florence,  in  Alabama,  it  may  be 
brought  to  the  factory  on  the  Maumce  by  a  course  three  hundred 
miles  shorter  than  its  usual  route  to  New  Orleans.  Should  the 
Tennessee  river  fail  to  furnish  enough  cotton,  the  Arkansas,  and 
the  Mississippi  above  the  mouth  of  the  Arkansas,  will  be  able  to 
supply  any  additional  demand.  For  the  distribution  of  the 
manufactured  goods,  the  whole  West  is  easily  accessible  by 
means  of  lakes,  canals,  and  rivers. 

As  a  point  for  manufacturers  and  mechanics,  the  aids  and 
facilities  above  mentioned  give  Maumee  an  incontestable  supe- 
riority over  Cleveland  and  Chicago.     Let  us  now  compare  their 


112  CHANGE    OF   NATIONAL   EMPIRE. 

coinraercial  advantages.  Those  of  Cleveland  htivo  been  droady 
set  forth  to  some  extent,  comparing  her  claims  with  tiioae  of 
Buffalo.  In  the  exchange  of  ag;"iculLural  products  of  a  warm 
and  of  a  cold  climate,  Cleveland,  by  her  canals  and  her  connec- 
tion with  the  Ohio,  can  claim  south,  as  against  the  Miami  canal, 
no  forther  than  Western  Virginia  and  Eastern  Kentucky. 
Maumee  will  supply  the  towns  on  the  Lakes  Erie,  Huron,  and 
probably  Ontaiio,  with  cotton,  sugar,  molasses,  rum  (may  its 
quantity  be  small),  rice,  tobacco,  hemp  (perhaps),  oranges, 
lemons,  figs,  and,  at  some  future  day,  such  naval  stores  as  come 
from  the  pitch-pine  regions  of  Tennessee,  Mississippi,  and 
Louisiana.  Chicago  will  furnish  a  supply  of  the  same  articles 
to  Lake  Michigan,  Lake  Superior,  when  that  lake  becomes 
accessible  to  her  navigation,  and  perhaps  the  northern  portion 
of  Lake  Huron.  How  important  these  commodities  are  in 
modern  commerce  need  not  be  enlarged  on  in  a  magazine  whose 
readers  are  mostly  intelligent  merchants.  During  the  forty- 
seven  years  under  consideration,  the  countries  to  be  supplied 
with  these  articles  from  Maumee  will  continue  to  be  more  popu- 
lous than  those  depending  on  Chicago  for  their  supply.  This 
position  seems  too  obvious  to  need  proof.  It  is  clear,  then,  that 
as  a  point  of  exchange  of  agricultural  products  of  different  cli- 
mates, Maumee  has  advantages  over  Chicago — the  only  place  on 
the  lakes  that  can  set  up  any  pretensions  of  rivalry  in  this 
branch  of  trade. 

What  are  the  relative  merits  of  these  towns  for  the  exchange 
of  agricultural  products  for  the  manufactures  of  Europe  and  the 
Eastern  States?  The  claims  of  Cleveland,  in  this  respect,  have 
already  been  considered;  and  to  some  extent,  also,  those  of 
Maumee.  The  control  of  Cleveland,  south  and  southeast, 
embfaces  a  country  of  about  40,000  square  miles;  being  a  quar- 
ter larger  than  Ireland.  For  early  spring  supplies,  and  light 
goods,  this  domain  may  be  invaded  from  Philadelphia  and  Balti- 
more; but  for  the  shipment  east,  and  the  bulk  of  goods  from 
New  York  and  Europe,  it  belongs  legitimately  to  Cleveland. 

Maumee  will  have  in  this  trade  the  chief  control  of  not  less 
than  100,000  square  miles— say  12,000  in  Ohio,  30,000  in  Ken- 
tucky, 30,000  in  Indiana,  10,000  in  Illinois,  13,000  in  Tennessee, 
5,000  in  Mississippi  and  Alabama,  and  5,000  in  Michigan — to  say 
nothing  of  her  claims  on  small  portions  of  Missouri  and  vVrkan- 
sas.  This  domain  is  half  as  large  as  the  kingdom  of  France  and 
twice  as  fertile.  The  Miami  canal,  connecting  Maumee  with 
Cincinnati,  will,  with  that  part  of  the  Wabash  and  Erie  which 
forms  the  common  trunk  after  their  junction,  be  two  hundred 
and  thirty-five  miles  long.  The  Wabash  and  Erie  canal,  from 
Muamee  to  Terre  Haute,  will  bo  three  hundred  miles  long.  Of 
this,  all  but  thirty-six  miles,  at  its  northern  extremity,  will  be  in 


CUANGE   OF   NATIONAL  EMPIRE.  113 

operation  the  present  penson.  By  raoanfl  of  those  oannls,  and 
the  rivers  with  which  thoy  communicate,  .great  part  of  this 
extensive  region  will  enjoy  the  advantage  of  a  cheap  water 
transport  Jor  its  rapidly  increasing  sui-plus. 

Chicago,  on  the  completion  of  the  Illinois  canal,  may  com- 
mand, in  its  exchange  of  agricultural  for  manufactured  pro- 
ducts, an  extent  of  territory  as  large  as  that  controlled  by 
Maumee.  Admitting  it  to  be  larger,  and  of  this  our  readers  must 
judge  for  themselves,  it  does  not  seem  to  us  probable  that  within 
the  forty-seven  years  it  can  even  approximate  in  population  or 
wealth  to  the  comparatively  old  and  well-peopled  territory  that 
comes  within  the  range  of  the  commercial  influence  of  Maumee. 
We  have  not  sufficient  data  on  which  to  calculate  the  extent  of 
country  that  will  come  under  the  future  commercial  power  of 
Chicago.  That  it  is  to  be  very  great  seems  probable  from  the 
fine  position  of  that  port  in  reference  to  the  lake,  and  an  almost 
interminable  country  southwest,  west,  and  northwest  of  it.  An 
extension  of  the  Illinois  canal  to  the  mouth  of  Eock  river  seems 
destined  to  give  her  the  control  of  the  Eastern  trade  throughout 
the  whole  extent  of  the  upper  Mississippi,  except  what  she  now 
has  by  means  of  the  Illinois  river.  She  will  also  probably  par- 
ticipate with  Maumee  in  the  lake  trade  with  the  Missouri  river 
and  St.  Louis.  On  the  whole,  wc  deem  Chicago  alone,  of  all  the 
lake  towns,  entitled  to  dispute  future  pi-e-eminence  with  Mau- 
mee. The  time  may  come,  after  the  period  under  consideration, 
when  the  extent  and  high  improvement  of  the  country  making 
Chicago  its  mart  for  commercial  operations,  may  enable  it  at 
least  to  sustain  the  second  place  among  the  great  towns  of  the 
North  American  valle}',  if  not  to  dispute  pre-eminence  with 
the  first.- 

When  we  jiroperly  consider  the  future  populousncss  of  our 
great  valley,  ihe  tendency  of  modern  improvements  1o  build  up 
large  towns,  the  great  and  increasing  inclination  of  population 
and  trade  to  and  through  the  lakes,  and  the  decided  advantages 
which  Maumee  possesses  over  any  other  lake  port,  we  need  not 
fear  being  over  sanguine  in  anticipating  for  the  leading  town  on 
that  porta  growth  unrivaled  by  any  city  whose  history  has  been 
recorded. 

The  conclusions  to  which  we  have  come,  in  this  and  the  pre- 
ceding articles  on  internal  trade,  are  not  expected  to  bo 
universall}'  or  general!}'  acceptable.  Many  of  them  run  counter 
to  the  hopes  and  preconceived  opinions  of  too  many  persons  for 
us  to  expect  that  they  will  be  considered  with  candor,  or  judged 
with  impartiality.  The  facts  therein  contained  will  be  encoun- 
tered with  less  alacrit}-.  On  these  we  rely.  For  these  we  ask 
a  dispassionate  and  Ihir  examination.  If  other  and  different 
conclusions  are  deduciblo  from  them  than  those  wo  have  drawn, 


114 


CHANGE    OF    NATIONAL    EMPIRE. 


it  would  give  us  pleasure  to  acknowledge  our  error  and  correct 
it.  But  if,  after  a  thorough  examination  of  the  subject,  we  have 
gone  beyond  the  anticipations  of  men  who,  with  more  ability, 
have  bestowed  much  less  thought  on  it,  let  them  not  condemn 
•merely  because  our  conclusions  seem  to  them  extravagant;  but 
let  them  examine  for  themselves,  or,  if  they  will  not  do  that,  let 
them  hesitate  before  they  pass  a  hasty  judgment  on  what  wo 
have  investigated  with  the  utmost  care,  and  with  an  earnest 
desire  to  arrive  at  the  truth.  J.  W.  S. 


Number  IV.  — 1S48. 

€OMMEECTAL  CITIES  AND  TO^YNS   OF   THE   UNITED 

STATES. 

OUR    CITIES — ATLANTIC    AND    INTERIOR. 

All  people  take  piide  in  their  cities.  In  them  naturally  con- 
centrate the  great  minds  and  the  wealth  of  the  nation.  There 
the  arts  that  adorn  life  are  cultivated,  a^id  from  them  flows  out 
the  knowledge  that  gives  its  current  of  thought  to  the  national 
mind. 

The  United  States,  until  recently,  have  had  large  cities  in  the 
hope  rather  than  in  the  reality.  It  is  but  a  few  years  since  our 
largest  city  reached  a  population  of  one  hundred  thousand. 
Long  before  that  period  sagacious  men  saw,  in  the  rapid  growth 
of  the  countr}'  and  the  aptitude  of  our  people  for  commerce, 
that  such  positions  as  those  occupied  by  Philadelphia  and  New 
York  must  rapidly  grow  up  to  be  great  cities.  This,  however, 
^as  by  no  means  the  common  belief  in  this  country;  and  our 
transatlantic  brothi-en  treated  with  undisguised  ridicule  the  idea 
that  those  places  could  even  rival  in  magnitude  the  leading  cities 
of  their  own  countries.  New  York  is  now  sometimes  called 
the  London  of  America.  Not  that  those  calling  her  so  suppose 
she  will  over  come  up  to  that  mammoth  in  size  and  importance, 
but  because  she  holds  in  the  Now  World  the  relative  rank  which 
London  holds  on  the  Old  Continent. 

It  is  believed  that  few  persons,  at  this  time,  have  a  sufficiently 
high  appreciation  of  the  future  grandeur  of  New  York  ;  and 
yet  fewercan  be  found  who  doubt  that  she  will  always  continue 
to  be  the  commercial  capital  of  America.  If  this  should  be  her 
destiny,  the  imagination  could  hardly  set  a  limit  to  her  future 
■growth  and  grandeur.  It  would  be  presumptuous  to  say  that 
her  population  might  not  reach  five  millions   within  the  next 


CHANGE    OF    NATIONAL   EMPIRE.  115 

centiirj'  and  a  half.  Of  the  few  persons  who  have  doubted  her 
continual  supremacy,  most  have  given  the  benefit  of  the  doubt 
to  Kew  Orleans.  This  outport  of  the  great  central  vallej'  of 
North  America  was  believed  to  command  a  destin}',  when  this 
valley  should  become  well  peopled,  that  might  eclipse  the  island 
city  of  the  Hudson. 

Some  twenty  j-ears  ago,  the  writer,  then  living  in  a  southeastern 
State,  was  convinced  that  the  greatest  city  must,  in  the  nature 
of  things,  at  a  not  very  distant  daj',  grow  up  in  the  interior  of 
the  continent.  Of  this  opinion  he  thinks  he  v\'as  the  inventor, 
and,  for  many  j'ears,  the  sole  proprietor.  If  it  had  been  the 
subject  of  a  patent,  no  one  would  have  been  found  to  dispute 
his  claim  to  the  exclusive  right  to  make  and  vend  (if  that  could 
bo  said  to  be  vendible  Avhich  no  one  would  be  prevailed  on  to 
take  as  a  gift).  That  such  an  opinion  should  appear  absurd  and 
ridiculous  n\a,j  \qyj  well  1)6  credited  by  most  people,  who  con- 
sider it  not  much  less  so  now.  The  largest  citj'  of  the  intsrior 
was  then  Cincinnati,  having  scarcely  20,000  inhabitants;  and 
the  sum  total  of  all  the  towns  in  the  great  valley  scarcely 
exceeded  50,000.  St.  Louis  at  that  time  had  but  5,000,  and 
Buffalo  about  the  same  number.  Hero,  then,  was  a  basis  very 
small  for  so  largo  an  anticipation.  Who  could  believe  that  St. 
Louis,  with  5,000  people,  could  possibly,  within  the  short  period 
of  150  years,  become  greater  than  J»I^ew  York,  with  a  population 
of  near  200,000  ?  But  what  seemed  most  ridiculous  of  all  was 
that  the  future  rival  of  the  great  commercial  emporium  should 
bo  placed  a  thousand  miles  from  the  ocean,  where  neither  a  ship 
of  war  nor  a  Liverpool  packet  could  ever  be  expected  to  arrive. 

Since  1828,  some  changes  of  magnitude  have  taken  place; 
and  the  writer's  exclusive  right  \mg\\i  now  be  questioned.  There 
are  now  other  men,  considered  sane  men,  who  believe  the  great 
city  of  the  nation  is  to  be  west  of  the  mountains,  and  quite 
away  from  the  salt  sea.  Governor  Bebb,  in  a  late  address  before 
the  Young  Men's  Library  Association  of  Cincinnati,  expressed 
his  decided  belief  that  Cincinnati  would,  in  the  course  of  a  cen- 
tury, become  "the  greatest  agricultural,  manufacturing,  and 
commercial  emporium  on  the  continent."  Thero  are  other  men 
now,  not  much  less  distinguished  for  knowledge  and  forecast 
than  Governor  Bebb,  who  entertain  the  same  belief.  What  has 
wrought  this  change  of  opiiiion?  Time,  whose  business  is  to 
unfold  truth  and  expose  error,  has  given  proofs  which  can  no 
longer  be  blinked.  The  interior  towns  have  commenced  a 
growth  80  gigantic  that  men  must  believe  there  is  a  power  of 
corresponding  magnitude  urging  them  forv/ard  —  a  power  yet 
in  its  infancy,  but  unfolding  its  energies  with  astonishing 
rapidit}'. 


116 


CHANaE  OF  NATIONAL  EMPIRE. 


Let  US  inako  some  C0InJv^^i^30n3  of  the  leading  Eastern  and 
Western  cities.  Xew  York  was  commenced  nearly  200  years 
before  it  increased  to  100^000  people.  Cincinnati,  according  to 
Governor  Bebb,  has  no\v,  fifty  years  from  its  commencement, 
100,000  inhabitants.  Boston  was  200  years  in  acquiring  its  first 
50,000.  New  York,  since  1790,  when  it  numbered  33,131,  has 
had  an  average  duplication  every  fifteen  years.  This  would 
make  her  population  in  1850,  530,096.  This  is  veYy  near  what 
it  will  be,  including  her  suburb,  Brooklyn. 

Cincinnati  has,  on  the  average,  since  1800,  when  it  had  750, 
doubled  her  numbers  every  seven  years. 


1790 33,131 

1805 G6,2G2 


1800 750 

1807 1.500 

1814 3,000 


NEW  YOKK. 

18-20 132,524  I  1S50 

1835 265,048 


.530,096 


CINCINNATI. 

1821 G.OOO 

1828 12,000 

1835 24,000 


1842  48,000 

1849  96,000 


It  appears  from  this  table  that,  on  the  average  of  fifty  years, 
Cincinnati,  the  leading  interior  town,  has  doubled  her  popula- 
tion every  seven  years;  while  New  York,  on  the  average  of 
sixtj^  years,  has  scarcely  doubled  hers  in  every  period  of  fifteen 
years.  If  New  York  is  compared  to  Cincinnati  during  the  same 
fifty  years,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  period  of  her  duplication 
averages  over  fifteen  j-ears.  She  had,  in  1800,  60,489.  Doubling 
this  every  fifteen  j'cars,  she  should  have,  in  1850,  nearly  650,000. 
This  number  will  exceed  her  actual  population  more  than  100,000, 
whereas  Cincinnati  in  1850  will  certainly  exceed  96,000. 

Let  us  now  sup[)ose  that,  for  the  next  fifty  years  after  1850, 
the  ratio  of  increase  of  New  York  will  be  such  as  to  make  a 
duplication  every  eighteen  years,  and  that  of  Cincinnati  every 
ten  years.  New  York  will  commence  with  about  500,000,  which 
will  increase  by  the  year 

ISGS  to 1,000,000  1  1S8G  to 2,000,000  |  1904  to 4,000,000 

Cincinnati  will  commence  in  1850  v^-ith  at  least  100,000,  which 
will  double  every  ten  years ;  so  that  in 

1860itwlUbe..    200,000  1  ISSOit  will  be..    800,000  I  1900  itwmbe..3,200,000 
1870       •'       ..    400,000  I  1890       "■        ..1,600,000  |  1904       ''        ..4,0GG,6G7 

The  resulting  figures  look  ver^^  lai'ge,  and,  to  most  readers, 
will  appear  extravagant. 

Let  us  suppose  the  duplication  of  New  York,  for  the  next 
100  3'oars,  to  be  eifectsd  on  an  average  of  twenty  years,  and 
that  of  Cincinnati  of  twelve  years. 


CHANGE    OF   NATIONAL   EMPIRE. 


117 


ISoO 500,000 

1870 1,000,000 

1850 100,000 

1862 200,000 

1874 400,000 


NEW   YOKK   IN 

1S90 2,000,000 

1910 4,000,000 

CINCINNATI   IN 

1886 800,000 

1898 1,600,000 

1910 3,200,000 


1930 8,000,000 

1950 10,000,000 

1922 6,400,000 

1934 12,800,000 

1946 25,600,000 


This  looks  like  carrying  the  argument  to  absurdity;  but  if 
these  two  leading  cities  be  allowed  to  represent  all  the  cities  in 
their  sections  respectively,  the  result  of  the  calculation  is  not 
unreasonable.  It  is  not  beyond  possibility,  and  is  not  even 
improbable. 

The  growth  of  the  leading  interior  marts,  since  1840,  has 
been  about  equal  to  the  average  growth  of  Cincinnati  for  fifty 
years  past.  This  growth,  for  the  last  eight  years,  according  to 
the  best  information  to  be  obtained,  has  been  more  than  115  per 
cent.,  as  the  following  table  will  show: 


1840.  1848. 

Cincinnati 46,900  95,000 

St.  Louis 16.000  45,000 

Louisville 21,000  40,000 

Buffalo 18.000  42,000 

Pittsburorh 31,000  58,000 

Cleveland 6,000  14,000 

Columbus 6,000  14,000 

Dayton 6,000  14,000 


1840.  1848. 

Detroit 9,000  17,000 

3Iihvaukee 2,000  15,000 

Chicago 5,000  17,000 

Osweo^o 5,000  11,000 

Roche.3ter 20,000  30,000 

Total 191,000  412,000 


The  growth  of  the  exterior  cities  for  the  same  period  has  been 
about  38  per  cent.,  according  to  the  following  figures : 


1840.  1848.      I 

New  York 312,000  425,000 

Philadelphia 228,000  350,000 

Baltimore 102,000  140,000 

New  Orleans 102,000  102. C03 

Boston 93,000.  130,000 

Charleston 29,000  31,000 


1840.  1848. 

Savannah 11,000  14,000 

Mobile 12,000  12,000 

Brooklyn 36,000  72,000 

Portland 15,000  24,000 

Total 910,000  1,300,000 


The  census  for  1840  is  our  authority  for  that  year.  For  1848, 
we  have  late  enumerations  of  most  of  the  cities.  The  others 
we  estimate. 

Thei'e  are  doubtless  a  few  inaccuracies  in  the  detail,  but  not 
enough  to  vary  the  result  in  any  important  degree. 

In  the  aggregate  our  interior  cities,  depending  for  their  growth 
on  internal  trade  and  home  manufacture,  increase  three  times  as 
fast  as  the  exterior  cities,  which  carry  on  nearly  all  the  foreign 


118  CnANOE    OF   NATIONAL   E.MPIRE. 

commorco  of  tho  countiy,  and  monopolizo  the  home  coirimcrce 
of  the  Atlantic  coast.  This  is  fi  fuct  of  signilicance.  It  proves 
that  our  fertile  fields,  after  supplying  food  to  everybody  in 
foreign  lands  who  will  bu}',  and  feeding  the  cities  and  towns  of 
the  Atlantic  States,  have  sufficed  to  feed  a  rapidly  growing  town 
population  at  home.  It  proves,  also,  that  the  Western  people 
are  not  disposed  to  accept  the  destiny  kindly  offered  them  by 
their  Eastern  brethren,  of  confining  themselves  to  the  hand- 
work of  agriculture  —  leaving  to  the  old  States  the  whole  field 
of  machine  labor.  Although  the  land  on  which  the  people  of 
the  great  valley  have  but  recentl}^  entered  is  new,  the  civil, 
social,  and  economical  condition  of  this  people  is  advanced 
nearly  to  the  highest  point  of  the  oldest  communities.  The 
contriving  brain  and  the  skillful  hand  ai-e  here  in  their  maturit3^ 
The  raw  materials  necessary  to  the  artisan  and  the  manufacturer, 
in  the  production  of  whatever  ministers  to  comfort  and  elegance, 
are  here.  The  bulkiness  of  food  and  raw  materials  makes  it 
the  interest  of  the  artisan  and  manufacturer  to  locate  himself 
near  the  place  of  their  production.  It  is  this  interest,  constantly 
operating,  which  peoples  our  Western  towns  and  cities  with 
emigrants  from  the  Eastern  vStates  and  Europe.  When  food  and 
raw  materials  for  manufacture  are  no  longer  cheaper  in  the 
great  valley  than  in  the  Sates  of  the  Atlantic  and  the  nations  of 
Western  Europe,  then,  and  not  till  then,  will  it  cease  to  be  the 
interest  of  artisans  and  manufacturers  to  prefer  a  location  .in 
Western  towns  and  cities.  This  time  will  probably  be  about  the 
period  when  the  Mississippi  shall  flow  towards  its  head. 

The  chief  points  for  the  exchange  of  the  vai'ied  productions  of 
industry  in  our  Western  valle.y  will  necessarily  give  employment 
to  a  great  population.  Indeed,  the  locations  of  our  future  great 
cities  have  been  made  with  reference  to  their  commercial  capa- 
bilities. Commerce  has  laid  the  foundation  on  which  manufac- 
tures have  been,  to  a  great  extent,  instrumental  in  reai'ing  the 
superstructure.  Together,  these  departments  of  labor  are  des- 
tined to  build  up  in  our  fertile  valley  the  greatest  cities  of 
the  world.  ^  J.  W.  S. 


NuJiBER  V.  —  1S57. 


In  the  rapidly  developing  greatness  of  North  America,  it  is 
interesting  to  look  to  the  future  and  speculate  on  the  most 
probable  points  of  centralization  of  its  commercial  and  social 
power.  I  leave  out  the  political  element,  because,  in  the  long 
run,  it  will  not  be  very  potential,  and  will  wait  upon  industrial 


CHANGE    OF    NATIONAL   EMPIRE.  IIO' 

developments.      I   also   omit   Mexico,   so  poor,  and  po  diseon- 
nectcd  ia  her  relations  to  the  great  body  of  the  continent. 

Including  with  our  nation,  as  forming  an  important  part  of  its 
commercial  communit.y,  the  Canadas  and  contiguous  provinces, 
the  center  of  ]iopulation,  v.-hite  and  black,  is  a  little  west  of 
Pittsburgh.  The  movement  ©f  this  center  is  north  of  west, 
about  in  the  direction  of  Chicago.  The  center  of  productive 
power  cannot  be  ascertained,  with  any  degree  of  precision.  We 
know  it  must  be  a  considerable  distance  oast,  and  north  of  th& 
center  of  population.  That  center,  too,  is  on  the  grand  march 
westward.  Both,  in  their  regular  progress,  will  roach  Lake- 
Michigan.  The  center  of  industrial  power  will  touch  Lake  Eric, 
and  possibly,  but  not  probably,  the  center  of  population  ma}'- 
movo  so  far  northward  as  to  reach  Lake  Erie  also.  Their  tend- 
enc}^  will  be  to  come  together;  but  a  considerable  time  will  be 
required  to  bring  them  into  near  proximity.  Will  the  move- 
ment  of  these  centers  be  arrested  before  they  reach  Lake- 
Michigan  ?  I  think  no  one  expects  to  stop  eastward  of  that 
lake;  few  will  claim  that  it  will  go  far  beyond  it.  Is  it  not, 
then,  as  certain  as  anything  in  the  future  can  be,  that  the  cen- 
tral power  of  the  continent  will  move  to,  and  become  permanent 
on,  the  border  of  the  groat  lakes  ?  Around  these  pure  waters  will 
gather  the  densest  population,  and  ou  their  borders  will  grow  up 
th»  best  towns  and  cities.  As  the  centers  of  population  and 
wealth  approach  and  pass  Cleveland,  that  city  should  swell  to 
large  size.  Toledo  will  be  still  nearer  the  lines  of  their  move- 
meVit,  and  should  be  more  favorably  affected  by  them,  as  the 
aggregate  power  of  the  continent  will  by  that  time  be  greatly 
increased.  As  these  lines  move  vvostward  towards  Chicago,  tha 
influence  of  their  position  will  be  divided  between  that  city 
and  Toledo,  distributing  benefits  according  to  the  degree  of 
proximity. 

If  we  had  no  foreign  commerce,  and  all  other  circumstances 
wore  equal,  the  greatest  cities  would  grow  up  along  the  line  of 
the  central  industrial  power,  in  its  westward  progress,  each  new 
city  becoming  greater  than  its  predecessor,  b}'  the  amount  of 
power  accumulated  on  the  continent,  for  concentration  from 
point  to  point  of  its  progress.  But  as  there  are  points, 
from  one  resting-place  to  another,  possessing  greatly  superior 
advantages  for  commerce  over  all  others,  and  near  enough  the 
center  line  of  industrial  power  to  apj)ropriate  the  commerce 
wdiich  it  offers,  to  these  points  we  must  look  for  our  future  great 
cities.  To  become  chief  of  these,  there  must  be  united  in  them 
the  best  facilities  for  transport,  by  water  and  by  land.  It  is  too 
plain  to  need  proof  that  these  positions  arc  occupied  by  Cleve- 
land, Toledo,  and  Chicago. 


120  CHANGE   OF    NATIONAL   EMPIRE. 

But  WO  have  a  foreign  comraei'ce  beyond  the  continent  of 
North  America,  by  means  of  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  beai'ing  the 
proportion,  we  will  allow,  of  one  to  twenty  of  the  domestic 
commerce  within  the  continent.  This  proportion  will  seem 
small  to  persons  who  have  not  directed  particular  attention  to 
the  subject.  It  is,  nevertheless,  within  the  truth.  The  proof  of 
this  is  difficult,  onlj^  because  we  cannot  get  the  figures  that  repre- 
sent the  numberless  exchanges  of  equivalents  among  each  other 
in  a  community  such  as  ours. 

If  we  suppose  ten  of  the  twenty-nine  millions  of  our  North 
American  community  to  earn,  on  an  average,  SI  25  per  day, 
312  days  in  the  yeai-,  it  will  make  an  aggregate  of  nearly  four 
thousand  millions  of  dollars.  If  we  divide  the  yearly  profits  of 
industry  equally  between  capital  and  labor,  the  proportion  of 
labor  would  be  but  61  25  per  day,  for  five  millions  of  the  twenty- 
nine  millions.  The  average  earnings  of  the  twenty-nine 
millions,  men,  women,  and  children,  to  produce  two  thousand 
millions  yearly,  would  be  22  cents  a  day,  for  312  working  days. 
This  is  rather  under  than  over  the  true  amount ;  for  it  would 
furnish  less  than  §70  each  for  yearly  support,  without  allowing 
anj-thiug  for  accumulation. 

Of  the  four  thousand  millions  of  yearly  production,  we  cannot 
suppose  that  more  than  one  thousand  millions  is  consumed  "by 
the  producers,  without  being  made  the  subject  of  exchange. 
This  will  leave  three  thousand  millions  as  the  subjects  of  com- 
merce, internal  and  external.  Of  this,  all  must  be  set  down  for 
internal  commerce,  inasmuch  as  most  of  that  which  enters  the 
channel  of  external  commerce'first  passes  through  several  hands 
betwen  the  producer  and  exporter.  Foreign  commerce  repre- 
sents but  one  transaction.  The  export  is  sold,  and  the  import  is 
bought  with  the  means  the  export  furnishes.  Not  so  with 
domestic  commerce.  Most  of  the  pi-oducts  which  are  its  sub- 
jects are  bought  and  sold  many  times,  between  the  producer  and 
ultimate  consumer.     Let  us  state  a  case: 

I  purchase  a  pair  of  boots  from  a  boot  dealer  in  Toledo.  He 
has  purchased  them  from  a  whole^^ale  dealer  in  New  York,  who 
has  bought  them  of  the  manufacturer  in  Newark.  The  manu- 
facturer has  bought  the  chief  material  of  a  leather  dealer  in 
New  York,  who  has  made  the  purchases  which  fill  his  lai'ge 
establishment  from  small  dealers  in  hides.  These  have  received 
their  supply  from  butchers.  The  butchers  have  bought  of  the 
drovers,  and  the  drovers  of  the  farmers.  If  the  boots  purchased 
are  of  French  manufacture,  they  have  been  the  subject  of  one 
transaction  represented  in  foreign  trade,  to-wit :  their  purchase 
in  Paris  by  the  American  importer;  whereas,  they  are  the  sub- 
ject of  several  transactions  in  our  domestic  trade.     The  importer 


CHANGE    OF    NATIONAL   EMPIRE.  121 

sells  them  to  the  jobber  in  New  York ;  the  jobber  sells  them  to 
the  Toledo  dealer,  who  sells  them  to  me. 

It  can  scarcely  admit  of  a  doubt  that  the  domestic  commerce 
of  North  America  bears  a  proportion  as  large  as  twenty  to  one 
of  its  foreign  commerce.  Has  internal  commerce  a  tendency  to 
concentrate  in  few  points  like  foreign  commerce  ?  Is  its  ten- 
dency to  concentration  less  than  that  of  foreign  commerce?  No 
difterence,  in  this  respect,  can  be  perceived.  All  commerce 
develops  that  law  of  its  nature  to  the  extent  of  its  means.  For- 
eign commerce  concentrates  chief!}'  at  those  ports  where  it  meets 
the  greatest  internal  commerce.  "The  domestic  commerce  being 
the  great  body  draws  to  it  the  smaller  body  of  foreign  com- 
merce. New  York,  by  her  canals,  her  railroads,  and  her  superior 
position  for  coastwise  navigation,  has  drawn  to  herself  most  of 
our  foreign  commerce,  because  she  has  become  the  most  con- 
venient point  for  the  concentration  of  our  domestic  trade.  It  is 
absurd  to  suppose  she  can  always,  or  even  for  half  a  century, 
remain  the  best  point  for  the  concentration  of  domestic  trade; 
and,  as  the  foreign  commerce  will  every  year  bear  a  less  and  less 
proportion  to  the  domestic  commerce,  it"^  can  hardly  be  doubted 
that  before  the  end  of  one  century  from  this  time  the  great  cen- 
ter of  commerce  of  all  kinds,  for  North  America,  will  be  on  a 
lake  harbor.  Supposing  the  center  of  population  (now  west  of 
Pittsburgh)  shall  average  a  yearly  movement  westward,  for  the 
next  fifty  years,  of  twenty  miles;  this  would  carry  it  one  thou- 
sand miles  northwestward  from  Pittsburgh,  and  some  five 
hundred  or  more  miles  beyond  the  central  point  of  the  natural 
resoui'ces  of  the  country.  It  would  pass  Cleveland  in  five  years, 
and  Toledo  in  eleven  years,  reaching  Chicago,  or  some  point 
south  of  it,  in  less  than  twentj'-five  years.  The  geographical 
center  of  industrial  power  is  probably  now  in  Northeastern 
Pennsylvania,  having  but  recently  left  the  city  of  New  York, 
where  it  partially  now  for  a  time  remains.  This  center  will 
move  at  a  somewhat  slower  rate  than  the  center  of  population. 
Supposing  its  movement  to  be  fifteen  miles  a  year,  it  will  reach 
Cleveland  in  twenty  years,  Toledo  in  twenty-seven  years,  and 
Chicago  in  fortj'-five  years.  If  ten  years  be  the  measure  of  the 
annual  movement  northwestward  of  the  industrial  central  point 
of  the  continent,  Cleveland  would  be  reached  in  thirty  years, 
Toledo  in  forty,  and  Chicago  in  sixty-throe  years.  It  is  well 
known  that  the  rate  at  which  the  center  of  population  in  the 
United  States  is  now  moving  westward  is  over  fifteen  miles 
a  year,  and  that  it  is  moving  with  an  accelerated  speed.  It  is 
obvious  that  the  center  of  population  and  the  center  of  indus- 
trial power,  now  widely  separated,  by  the  nature  of  the  country 
between  New  York  and  Cleveland,  by  the  superiority  in  pi'o- 
ductive  power  of  the  old  Northern  and  Middle  States  over  tho 
8 


122  CHANGE    OF    NATIONAL   EMPIRE. 

new  States  of  the  Northwest,  and  still  more  by  the  inferiority 
of  industrial  power  of  the  plantation  States,  compared  with  the 
region  lying  north  of  them,  will  have  a  constant  tendency  to 
approximate,  but  can  never  become  identical  so  long  as  the  infe- 
rior Afx'ican  race  forms  a  large  portion  of  the  population  of  the 
great  Southern  section  of  our  Union.  The  constant  tendency 
of  the  center  of  industrial  power  will  be  northward,  as  well  as 
westward.  This  will  be  determined  by  the  superiority  of  natural 
resources  of  the  Northwest  over  the  Southwestern  section,  by 
the  use  of  a  far  greater  proportion  of  machine  labor,  in  substi- 
tution for  muscular  labor,  in  the  northern  region,  and  also  by 
the  superior  muscular  and  mental  power  of  the  inhabitants  of 
the  colder  climate.  To  these  might  be  added  the  immense 
advantage  of  a  vastly  greater  accumulated  industrial  power  in 
every  branch  of  industry,  and  the  tendency  of  the  supera- 
bundant capital  of  the  Old  World  to  flow  into  the  free  States 
and  the  countrj^  north  of  them. 

In  the  view  of  the  subject  which  has  been  taken  here,  it  will 
be  seen  that  the  trade  with  the  Biitish  Provinces  north  of  ua 
has  been  considered  a  portion  of  our  domestic  trade,  and  that 
Mexico  and  California  have  been  left  out  of  our  calculation. 
These  may  be  allowed  to  balance  each  other.  But,  together  or 
apart,  they  will  not  be  of  sufficient  importance  to  our  continental 

.commerce  to  varj^   materially'   the  results  of  its  future  for  the 

,next  fifty  years,  as  develo|)ed  in  this  paper. 

At  the  present  rate  of  increase,  the  United  States  and  the 
Canadas  fifty  years  from  this  time,  will  contain  over  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  millions  of  people.  If  we  suppose  it  to  be  one 
hundred  and  five  mil  ions,  and  that  these  shall  be  distributed  so 
that  the  Pacitic  States  shall  have  ten  millions,  and  the  Atlantic 
border  twenty-five  millions,  there  will  be  left  for  the  great  inte- 
rior plain  seventy  millions  The^e  seventy  millions  will  have 
twenty  times  as  much  commercial  inteirourse  with  each  other 

,  as  with  the  world  outside.  It  is  obvious,  then,  that  there  must 
be  built  up  in  their  midst  the  great  city  of  the  continent;  and 
not  only  so,  but  that  they  will  sustain  several  cities  greater  thaa 
those  which  can  be  sustained  on  the  ocean  border. 

This  is  the  era  of  great  cities.  London  has  nearly  trebled  in 
numbers  and  business  since  the  commencement  of  the  current 
century.  The  augmentation  of  her  population  in  that  tim-^  has 
been  a" million  and  a  half.  This  increase  is  equal  to  the  whole 
population  of  New  York  and  Philadelphia,  and  yet  it  is  proba- 
ble that  New  York  will  be  as  populous  as  London  in  about  fifty 
years.  A  liberal,  but  not  improbable,  estimate  of  the  period  of 
duplication  of  the  numbers  of  these  great  cities  would  be,  for 
London  thirty  years,  and  for  New  York  fifteen  years.  At  this 
rate,  London  will  have  four  millions  and  seven  hundred  thou- 


CHANGE    OF    X^iTIOXAL   EMPIRE.  123 

eand,  and  'Now  York  three  millions  four  hundred  thousand,  at 
the  end  of  thirty  years.  At  the  end  of  the  third  duplication  of 
jSIew  York — that  "is,  in  forty-five  years — she  will  have  become 
more  populous  than  London,  and  number  nearly  seven  millions. 
This  is  beyond  belief,  but  it  shows  the  probability  of  New  York 
overtaking  London  in  about  fifty  years. 

A  similar  comparison  of  New  York  and  the  leading  interior 
city — Chicago — will  show  a  like  i-esult  in  favor  of  Chicago. 
The  census  returns  show  the  average  period  of  duplication  to  be 
fifteen  years  for  New  York,  and  less  than  four  years  for  Chicago. 
Suppose  that  of  New  York  for  the  future  should  be  sixteen 
years,  ond  that  of  Chicago  eight  years,  and  that  New  York  now 
has,  with  her  suburbs,  nine  hundred  thousand,  and  Chicago  one 
hundred  thousand  people.  In  three  duplications,  New  York 
would  contain  six  millions  two  hundred  thousand,  and  Chicago 
in  six  duplications,  occuping  the  same  length  of  time,  would 
have  six  millions  four  hundred  thousand.  It  is  not  asserted,  as 
probable,  that  either  city  will  be  swelled  to  such  an  extraor- 
dinary size  in  forty-eight  j-ears — if  ever;  but  it  is  more  than 
probable  that  the  leading  interior  city  will  be  greater  than  New- 
York  fifty  years  from  this  time. 

A  few  words  as  to  the  estimation  in  which  such  anticipations 
-are  held.  The  general  mind  is  faithless  of  what  goes  much 
beyond  its  own  experience.  It  refuses  to  receive,  or  it  receives 
with  distrust,  conclusions,  however  strongly  sustained  by  facts 
and  fair  deductions,  which  go  much  beyond  its  ordinary-  range 
of  thought.  It  is  especially  skeptical  and  intolerant  toward 
the  avowal  of  opinions,  however  well  founded,  which  are  san- 
guine of  great  future  changes.  It  does  not  comprehend  them, 
and  therefore  refuses  to  believe;  but  it  sometimes  goes  further, 
and,  without  examination,  scornfully  rejects.  To  seek  for  the 
truth  is  the  proper  object  of  those  who,  from  the  past  and 
present,  undertake  to  say  what  will  be  in  the  future,  and,  when 
the  truth  is  found,  to  express  it  with  as  little  reference  to  what 
will  be  thought  of  it  as  if  putting  forth  the  solution  of  a  mathe- 
matical problem. 

If  we  were  asked  whose  anticipations  of  what  has  been  done 
to  advance  civilization,  for  the  past  fiftj-  years,  have  come  nearest 
the  truth — those  of  the  sanguine  and  hopeful,  or  those  of  the 
cautious  and  fearful — must  it  not  be  answered  that  no  one  of 
the  former  class  had  been  sanguine  and  hopeful  enough  to  antici- 
pate the  full  measure  of  human  progress  since  the  opening  of 
the  present  century?  May  it  not  be  the  most  sanguine  and 
hopeful  only,  who,  in  anticipation,  can  attain  a  due  estimation 
of  the  measure  of  future  change  and  improvement  in  the  grand 
march  of  society  and  civilization  westward  over  our  continent? 

J.  W.  S. 


124  CHANGE    OF    NATIONAL   EMPIRE. 

"We  have  given  Mr.  Scott  the  benefit  of  a  full  hearing,  in 
order  to  enable  the  reader  the  better  to  see  the  justness  of  the 
arguments  and  the  truth  of  the  positions  in  the  discussion 
bearing  upon  the  subject  of  the  pamphlet  and  the  future  devel- 
opment of  the  internal  trade  of  the  continent. 

No  home  question  of  the  American  people,  touching  their  con- 
tinental growth  and  commerce,  is  so  great  as  this  one  upon  the 
internal  and  westward  growth  of  material  power.  It  is  the 
great  source  of  industrial  vitality  and  civil  progress. 

In  the  discussion  of  the  internal  trade  of  the  continent  and 
the  Western  movement  of  the  center  of  population  and  of  the 
industrial  power  of  North  America,  Mr.  Scott  has  gone  elabo- 
rately into  the  questions,  yet  he  has  lived  to  see  some  errors  in 
his  own  arguments  3  and  against  them  I  caution  the  reader,  and 
point  to  what  I  conceive  to  be  the  truth  in  commercial  experi- 
ence and  in  fact. 

The  great  error  of  most  men  who  undertake  to  solve  the 
problems  of  mankind  in  the  different  phases  of  their  career 
comes  first  from  a  failure  to  draw  the  correct  lessons  from 
history ;  and  second,  on  account  of  being  too  much  guided  by 
existing  conditions,  and  not  looking  beyond  to  what  must  be 
the  inevitable  unfold ment  and  growth  of  their  industry  from  the 
fixed  principles  of  nature  This  was  Mr.  Scott's  error.  His 
reasonings  to  prove  that  Toledo  would  be  the  great  inland  center 
of  commerce,  and  that  Chicago  and  Cleveland  would  be  her 
handmaids,_were  founded  purely  upon  the  existing  condition  of 
things  at  the  time  he  wrote,  while  beyond  that  condition  the 
fixed  principles  of  nature  told  of  a  different  growth  and  a  differ- 
ent distribution  of  the  commerce  of  the  continent. 

Mr.  Scott  wrote  when  his  vision  was  circumscribed  by  the 
deadening  influence  of  slavery  over  more  than  one-half  of  the 
States,  and  when  Indian  reservations  blockaded  the  way  to 
fertile  lands  in  the  West  and  Southwest.  He  saw  the  free 
States  of  the  North,  with  their  population  preponderating  in 
great  numbers  over  the  population  of  the  slave  States  of  the 
South.  He  saw  from  those  populous  States  thousands  of  hardy 
sons  and  daughters  going  forth  to  the  Northwest  in  search  of 
homes  when  the  way  was  blockaked  to  the  Southwest,  and  thus 
conceived  that  the  life-currents  of  the  nation  were  destined  to 


CHANGE   OF    NATIONAL   EMPIRE.  125 

localize  themselves  in  that  region.  At  a  later  day  thousands 
from  all  parts  of  the  South  were  seen  fleeing  from  the  terrors  of 
the  rebellion  to  the  Northwest ;  an  activity  and  a  growth  was 
seen  there  that  has  never  been  equaled  on  the  continent,  and 
short-sighted  observers  have  imagined  that  all  that  unparalleled 
tendency  of  the  people  thither,  and  that  extraordinary  growth 
in  population  and  material  power,  was  in  conformity  to  a  fixed 
law  of  national  growth.  Not  so.  These  incidental,  yet  local 
causes,  positively  compelled  the  tide  of  American  progi-oss  and 
power  to  the  lakes  and  the  Northwest.  Slavery  and  Indian 
titles  alone  compelled  the  flank  movement  of  the  central  column 
Northward  in  the  civil  conquest  of  the  continent.  So,  too,  did 
the  late  unhappy  war  drive  the  population,  the  industr}',  and 
the  wealth,  to  the  Northwest ;  but,  with  the  extinction  of  slavery 
and  Indian  titles,  the  continent  is  left  alike  all  over,  and,  founded 
upon  the  material  resources  of  the  country,  trade  and  industry 
will  be  guided  by  the  normal  action  of  society  and  the  law  of 
Bupply  and  demand,  and  thus  change  all  the  workings  of  com- 
merce founded  alone  upon  temporaiy  conditions.  For  each 
slave  set  free  is  added  §1,000,000  to  the  nation's  wealth,  and  for 
each  Indian  title  extinguished  will  be  added  a  great  community 
of  industrious  and  intelligent  people,  who,  "yielding  to  irre- 
sistible attraction,  will  seek  a  new  life  in  becoming  a  part  of  the 
great  whole." 

But  let  us  look  beyond  Mr.  Scott's  reasoning,  and  set  right 
those  whom  he  has  misguided.  Two  theories  of  internal  com- 
merce have  been  Avritten  into  notice  by  American  writers :  one 
is  the  Lake  theory,  and  the  other  is  the  Eiver  theory.  The 
Lake  theory  has  been  before  the  people  much  the  longest  timS; 
and  has  been  the  subject  of  a  greater  number  of  writers  than 
has  the  Pdver  theory.  The  Lake  theory  now  is  that  Chicago 
is  to  be  the  commercial  center  for  the  trade  of  the  Mississippi 
Yalley,  and  that  the  produce  will  go  there,  and  from  thence  over 
the  lakes  to  New  York  and  foreign  markets.  The  River  theory- 
is  that  the  commerce  of  the  Mississippi  Valley  will  follow  the 
rivers  to  the  Gulf,  and  from  thence  to  the  markets  of  the  world. 
Mr.  Scott  advocated  the  Lake  theory,  first  making  Toledo  the 
commercial  center,  but  at  a  later  day  pointed  to  Chicago  as  the 
favored  place.     The  Eiver  theory,  as  yet,  has  received  but  little 


126  CHANGE    OF    NATIONAL    EMPIRE. 

attention  in  public  print  or  public  enterprise.  Although  both  of 
these  theories  are  entitled  to  great  consideration  by  the  Ameri- 
can people,  yet  it  seems  to  be  but  an  easy  matter  to  determine 
which  is  to  be  the  dominant  one.  For  the  Lake  theory  to  pre- 
vail, New  York  must  control  the  commerce  of  the  Valley  States 
and  the  farther  West.  This  is  an  utter  impossibility.  She 
neither  can  control  it  by  means  of  conveyance  via  the  lakes  nor 
by  the  Gulf  The  development  of  the  Yalley  States  and  the 
farther  West  will  break  her  hold  upon  this  people  in  spite  of  her 
wealth. 

It  is  the  commerce  going  to  and  from  nations  that  builds 
great  cities  on  the  seaboard,  and  that,  too,  when  the  people 
of  the  interior  are  only  a  producing  people.  On  the  other 
hand,  when  a  nation  has  a  valuable  interior,  rich  soils,  heavy 
forests,  valuable  metals,  and  good  water-powers,  its  people  are 
sure  to  become  a  consuming  people,  and  therefore  a  populous 
people,  and,  with  the  dense  population,  in  the  interior,  the 
great  cities  grow  in  the  interior,  and  the  seaboard  cities  become 
scarcely  more  than  shipping  ports.  France  and  England  give 
the  strongest  evidence  of  this  truth.  London  and  Paris  are 
their  interior  cities,  while  Liverpool  and  Brest  are  their 
shipping  ports.  Such  will  be  the  result  in  America.  But 
a  few  more  years  and  that  difference  of  wealth  will  not 
exist  between  the  seaboard  cities  and  those  of  the  West  that 
now  dqes,  and,  therefore,  they  cannot  exercise  that  arbitrary 
commercial  control  over  the  trade  of  the  West  that  they 
now  do. 

The  rapid  approach  to  the  time  when  our  inland  cities  will 
equals  and  even  surpass,  the  Atlantic  cities  may  be  seen  in  the 
following  figures.  Taking  the  four  cities  of  the  seaboard  and 
the  four  of  the  interior,  they  stand  thus  : 


Seaboard  Cities.  1860. 

Boston 177,840 

New  York 805,651 

Philadelphia 565,529 

Baltimore 212,418 

1,761,438 


Inland  Cities,  1860. 

Cincinnati 161,044 

Chicago 109,260 

St.  Louis 160,773 

New  Orleans 168,675 


590,752 


Seaboard  cities  over  Western  cities 1,161,686 


CHANGE    OF    NATIONAL   EMriRE. 


127 


Seaboard  Cities.  18G8. 

Boston 278,000 

New  York 885,000 

Philadelphia. 725,000 

BaltiQiore 230,000 


Inland  Cities.  ISfiS. 

Cinciniiii'.i 250,000 

Chicago 252,000 

St.  Louis 265,000 

New  Orleans 200,000 


2,118,000  967,000 

Seaboard  cities  over  Western  cities 1,151,000 

The  figures  show  a  material  gain  by  the  inland  cities  over 
those  of  the  seaboard,  in  spite  of  the  ravages  of  the  war  upon 
St.  Louis  and  New  Orleans;  besides,  in  the  West  we  have  a 
greater  area  of  country  inviting  alike  all  over  to  the  emigrant, 
which  causes  a  greater  diffusion  of  our  Western  people  than 
upon  the  seaboard  part  of  our  continent.  But  give  us  ten  years 
of  peaceful  growth,  and  the  West  will  double  in  population  and 
wealth.  In  1860  St.  Louis  was  the  seventh  city  of  the  country. 
She  is  now  the  fourth,  and  will  soon  be  the  third. 

In  another  ten  years  St.  Louis  will  have  more  railroads  run- 
ning to  her  than  Chicago  has.  Startling  as  this  statement  may 
be  to  those  who  have  been  for  a  long  time  hearing  that  Chicago 
was  the  greatest  railroad  city  in  the  country,  the  statement  is 
nevertheless  true.  An}'  one  who  is  acquainted  with  the  railroad 
system  of  St.  Louis,  and  can  comprehend  what  ten  years  will 
bring  forth,  can  see  at  once  the  truth  of  the  statement. 

In  addition  to  St.  Louis  becoming  the  great  railroad  center, 
she  will  command  both  the  Omaha  and  Kansas  Pacific  Eailroads, 
for  she  is  more  than  100  miles  nearer  Omaha  than  Chicago. 
Besides  the  road  via  New  Mexico  and  Arizona  to  the  Pacific 
ocean  must  be,  on  account  of  climate,  the  superior  road.  St. 
Louis  will  also  have  the  advantage  of  the  Galveston  road  and 
the  Mississippi  river,  which  will  give  her  the  advantage  of  the 
Southern  and  tropical  trade.  Thus  everywhere  are  to  be  seen 
the  unmistakable  evidence  of  the  future  supremacy  of  St.  Louis 
and  her  destiny  to  become  the  commercial  center  of  the  Missis- 
sippi Yalley. 

On  our  Western  seaboard  we  have  San  Francisco,  with  a 
population  of  125,000,  besides  many  other  rapidly  growing  cities 
in  the  intei'ior. 

The  population  of  the  West  will  also  be  more  dense  than 
that   of  the   East;    also,   the   workshops    and   wealth   will    be 


128  CHANGE    OF    NATIONAL   EMPIRE. 

greater.  Hence  the  inevitable  triumph  of  the  River  theory  of 
commerce  over  the  Lake  theory.  The  inhabitants  along  the 
rivers  v^^ill  grow  the  crops,  work  the  metals  and  the  timbers, 
while  the  rivers  and  the  railroads  bear  away  over  the  country 
and  to  the  Gulf  the  product  of  their  industry.  With  cheaper 
freights  and  greater  advantages,  resulting  from  greater  proximity 
to  the  produce,  the  River  theory  must  prevail,  and  the  interest 
of  Chicago,  St.  Louis,  and  New  Orleans  be  one  in  the  united 
industrial  and  commercial  movements  of  the  West. 

He  who  reasons  for  the  results  of  the  future  must  take  for  the 
"basis  of  his  arguments  the  facts  as  they  exist  in  nature  as  well 
as  in  man,  and  combine  them  in  proper  relations,  and  then  he 
becomes  a  prophet  among  his  people.  Man's  success  everj^where 
comes  from  his  working  in  harmony  with  nature's  laws.  Then,  in 
conformity  to  these  overruling  conditions,  the  commerce  of  the 
Mississippi  Yalley  must  follow  the  flow  of  the  rivers,  and  the 
wealth  of  the  people  must  come  from  the  soils,  the  minerals, 
and  the  forests.  In  response  to  all  these  truths,  the  River 
theory  of  the  commerce  of  the  West  must  be  dominant  over  the 
Lake  theory.  In  support  of  this  position,  the  following  facts 
are  offered  as  still  greater  evidence  of  its  truth : 

The  States  lying  upon  the  banks  of  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi 
rivers,  fourteen  in  number,  had,  by  the  census  of  1860,  a  popu- 
lation of  16,909,494,  or  more  than  half  the  whole  population  of 
the  United  States  j  and  these  two  rivers  have  a  coast  line  of 
36,098  miles,  while  the  coast  of  the  Atlantic  is  2,163  miles,  and 
the  Gulf  of  Mexico  1,764  miles,  and  of  the  Pacific  1,343  miles, 
■on  an  outer  line,  or  21,354  miles  including  bays  and  indentations. 

That  these  rivers  drain  an  area  of  1,785,267  square  miles, 
more  than  half  of  the  whole  3,001,002  square  miles  in  the 
United  States;  and  these  fourteen  States,  in  1860,  contained 
94,402,869  of  the  163,110,720  improved  acres,  and  126,703,393  of 
the  244,101,818  unimproved  acres  of  the  whole  United  States  j 
and  the  valution  of  property  in  these  fourteen  States  shows 
$8,467,511,274  of  the  whole  valuation  of  the  United  States, 
$16,077,358,715;  showing  very  conclusively  that  these  fourteen 
States  pay  more  than  half  the  taxes,  work  moi'e  than  half  of  the 
improved  land,  have  the  majority  of  the  population,  and  also 
the  majority  of  the  land  to  develop,  of  the  whole  United  States. 


CHANGE   OF   NATIONAL  EMPIRE.  129 

By  the  census  of  1860,  the  whole  product  of  the  United  States 
was  valued  at  $1,900,000,000,  while  the  foreign  exports  of 
domestic  produce  were  only  $373,189,274,  or  less  than  one-fifth 
of  the  whole  product,  leaving  four-fifths  for  exchange  in  domestic 
commerce  between  the  States. 

The  proportion  of  the  whole  product  afforded  by  these  four- 
teen States  we  speak  for,  may  be  judged  by  these  returns  of 
their  produce,  gathered  from  the  census  of  1860,  and  compared 
with  the  whole  United  States,  as  follows : 

The  Fourteen  StafB.  The  whole  United  States. 

Corn 632  453,375  bushels.  838.792  740  bushels. 

Wheat r26,9;)0,730        "  173,10-1,924 

Oats 103,995  461        "  172,643,185 

Tobacco 345,400.759  pounds.  434,209  4()1  pounds. 

Suo'ar 222,6:i6,000         "  230,982,000 

Cotton 1,079,799,600        "  2,154,820,800        " 

Wool 31,277.839        "  60,264,913        " 

Hay 9,297,743  tons.  19,083.896  tons. 

Bui-ter 230,601,405  pounds.  459,681,372  pounds. 

Hemp 69,470  tons.  74,493  tons. 

Hoo-s  22,225,760  31.512,867 

Bituminous  coal 3,247,264,425  bushels,  3,621,923,105  bushels 

Horses  and  asses 4.804,634  7,400,322 

Cattle 12,517.392  25,616,019 

Sheep 11,973,315  22,471,275 

Showing  for  tke  river  States  a  great  preponderance  in  the 
products  of  the  whole  country. 

The  total  tonnage  owned  in  the  United  States  is  returned  in 
the  census  of  1860  as  5,353,868  tons,  and  the  portion  belonging 
to  the  fourteen  States  as  996,266  tons ;  but  it  is  estimated,  by 
competent  parties,  that  the  steamers  on  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi 
have  carried  7,905,216  tons  during  the  year  1866,  evincing 
the  activity  in  domestic  commerce  of  these  river  States,  and 
this  commerce  but  jet  in  its  infancy  —  for  it  is  developing 
daily,  and  demonstrating  that  from  these  States  has  and  must 
come  the  food  supply  for  the  whole  nation  and  for  export; 
and  that  the}'  must  also  supply  the  gold  and  silver  States  which 
are  developing  so  largely  and  quickly  upon  the  tributaries  of 
their  rivers. 

These  figures  cannot  be  regarded  otherwise  than  in  favor  of 
the  River  theory,  and  the  consequent  development  of  St.  Louis 
as  the  commercial  center  of  the  Mississippi  Valley. 


130 


CHANGE   OF   NATIONAL   EMPIRE. 


In  further  proof  of  St.  Louis  becoming  the  commercial  center 
of  the  Mississippi  Y alley,  the  following  evidence  given  b}'  Pro- 
fessor WaterhousO;  of  this  city,  in  one  of  his  valuable  articles 
upon  the  resources  of  Missouri,  is  submitted  : 

ST.    LOUIS    THE    COMMERCLVL    CENTEE    OF    NOETH 

AMEEICA. 

St.  Louis  is  ordained  by  the  decrees  of  physical  nature  to 
become  the  great  inland  metropolis  of  this  continent.  It  cannot 
escape  the  magnificence  of  its  destiny.  Greatness  is  the  neces- 
sity of  its  position.  New  York  may  be  the  head  but  St.  Louis 
will  be  the  heart  of  America.  The  stream  of  traffic  which  must 
flow  through  this  mart  will  enrich  it  with  alluvial  deposits  of 
gold.  Its  central  location  and  facilities  of  communication 
unmistakably  indicate  the  leading  part  which  this  city  will  take 
in  the  exchange  and  distribution  of  the  products  of  the  Missis- 
sippi Yalley.  St.  Louis  is  situated  upon  the  west  bank  of  the 
Mississippi,  at  an  altitude  of  400  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea. 
It  is  far  above  the  highest  floods  that  ever  swell  the  Father  of 
Waters.  Its  latitude  is  38  deg.  37  min.  28  sec.  north,  and  its 
longitude  90  deg.  15  min.  16  sec.  west.  It  is  20  miles  below  the 
mouth  of  the  Missouri,  and  200  above  the  confluence  of  the  Ohio. 

T-,.    .  -  .  Miles. 

Distance  by  river  from  St.  Louis  to  Keokuk 200 

"  Burlino:-toii 260 

"  Rock  Island 350 

'*  Dubuque 470 

*«  St.  Paul 800 

"  Cairo 200 

"  Memphis 440 

"  Vicksburcr 830 

♦'  New  Orleans 1.240 

"  Louisvill 580 

♦'  Cincinnati 720 

"  Pittsburg 1,200 

"  I-eavanworth 500 

"  Omaha 800 

"  Sioux  City 100 

"  Fort  Benton i....3,I00 

Distance  by  rail  from  St.  Louis  to  Indianapolis 20O 

"  Chicago 280 

"  Cincinnati 340 

"  Cleveland 470 

♦«  Pittsburg 650 

"  Buflalo G50 

*'  New  York 1,000 

"  Lawrence 320 

"  Denver 880 

♦'  Salt  Lake 1,300 

"  Virginia  City 1,900 

'*  Sail  Francisco 2,300 


CHANGE   OF   NATIONAL   EMriUE. 


181 


St.  Louis  very  nearly  bisects  the  direct  distance  of  1,400  miles 
between  Superior  City  and  the  Bulize.  It  is  the  geographical 
center  of  a  valley  which  embraces  1,200,000  square  miles.  In 
its  course  of  3,200  miles,  the  Mississippi  borders  upon  Missouri 
470  miles.  Of  the  3,000  miles  of  the  Missouri,  500  lie  within 
the  limits  of  our  own  State.  St.  Louis  is  mistress  of  more  than 
16,500  miles  of  river  navigation. 

This  metropolis,  though  in  the  infancy  of  its  greatness,  is 
al  ready  a  large  city.  Its  length  is  about  eight  miles,  and  its 
width  three.  Suburban  residences,  the  outposts  of  the  grand 
advance,  are  now  stationed  six.  or  seven  miles  from  the  river. 
The  present  population  of  St.  Louis  is  204,300.  In  1865,  the  real 
and  personal  property  of  the  city  was  assessed  at  $100,000,000, 
and  in  1866  at  $126,877,000. 

St.  Louis  is  a  well-built  city,  but  its  architecture  is  rather 
substantial  than  showy.  The  wide,  well-paved  streets,  the  spa- 
cious levee,  and  commodious  warehouses;  the  mills,  machine- 
shops,  and  manufactories:  the  fine  hotels,  churches,  and  public 
buildings ;  the  universities,  charitable  institutions,  public  schools, 
and  libraries,  constitute  an  array  of  excellences  and  attractions 
of  which  any  city  may  justly  be  proud.  The  Lindell  and 
Southern  tlotels  are  two  of  the  largest  and  most  magnificent 
structures  which  the  world  has  ever  dedicated  to  public  hospi- 
tality.    The  Lindell  is  itself  a  village.* 

The  appearance  of  St.  Louis  from  the  eastern  bank  of  the 
Mississippi  is  impressive.  At  East  St.  Louis,  the  eye  sometimes 
commands  a  view  of  100  steamboats  lying  at  our  levee.  Not- 
withstanding the  departure  of  more  than  40  boats  for  Montana, 
there  are  at  this  date  70  steamers  in  the  port  of  St.  Louis.  A 
mile  and  a  half  of  steamboats  is  a  spectacle  which  naturally 
inspires  large  views  of  commercial  greatness.  The  sight  of  our 
levee,  thronged  with  busy  merchants  and  covered  with  the 
commodities  of  every  clime,  from  the  peltries  of  the  Eocky 
Mountains  to  the  teas  of  China,  does  not  tend  to  lessen  the  mag- 
nitude of  the  impression. 

The  growth  of  St.  Louis,  though  greatly  retarded  by  social 
institutions,  has  been  rapid.     The'population  of  the  city  was,  in 


1769 891 

1795 925 

1810 1,400 

1820 4,928 

1828 5,000 

1830 5.852 

1833 G,31)7 

1835 8,316 


1837 12,04a 

1840 10,409 

1844 34,140 

1850 74,439 

1S52  94,000 

1856 125,200 

1859 185.587 

1866 204,327 


•On  the  30th  of  March,  1S07,  this  superb  odiflce  was  burned  to  the  ground. 


132 


CHANGE   OF   NATIONAL   EMPIRE. 


In  1866,  1,400  buildinga,  worth  83,500,000,  were  erected  in  St. 
Louis.  The  total  number  of  structures  in  the  city  is  now  about 
20,000,  and  their  approximate  value  is  S50,000,006.* 

At  the  present  rate  of  decennial  increase,  St.  Louis,  in  1900, 
would  contain  more  than  1,000,000  inhabitants.  This  number 
certainly  seems  to  exceed  the  present  probability  of  realization, 
but  the  future  growth  of  St.  Louis,  vitalized  by  the  mightiest 
forces  of  a  free  civilization,  and  quickened  by  the  exchanges  of 
a  continental  commerce,  ought  to  surpass  the  rapidity  of  its 
past  development. 

The  real  estate  in  St.  Louis  was,  in 


1859  assessed  at $69,846,845 

1860  "    " 73,765,670 

1861  "    " 57.537.415 

1862  "    " 40,240,450 


1863  assessed  at $49,409,030 

1804    "  " .53,205,820 

1865  "  " 73,960,700 

1866  "  " 81,961,610 


In  1866,  the  valuation  of  the  real  and  personal  property  in  St. 
Louis  on  which  the  State  and  military  taxes  were  levied  was 
$126,877,000. 

The  amount  of  duties  collected  at  the  St.  Louis  Custom  House 
was,  in 


1861 $30,183  96 

1862 20,404  70 

1863 36,622  09 


1864 $76,448  43 

1865 586  407  47 

1866 785,652  30 


The  amount  of  imposts  paid  at  the  port  of  Chicago  during  the 
fiscal  year  ending  December  31,  1866,  was  §509,64:3  39  in  coin. 

The  duties  collected  during  the  same  period  at  this  port 
amounted  to  $60,176  45  in  currency,  and  $780,706  97  in  gold. 

Only  about  one-fifth  of  the  customs  levied  on  goods  imported 
into  St.  Louis  are  collected  at  this  point.  St.  Louis  is  only  a 
port  of  delivery.  The  imposts  upon  our  foreign  merchandise 
are  chiefly  paid  at  the  ports  of  entry. 

The  present  system  of  foreign  importation  is  unfavorable  to 
the  commercial  interests  of  St.  Louis.  This  city  should  be  made 
a  port  of  entry.  The  goods  of  St.  Louis  importers  are  now 
subjected  to  great  delay  and  expense  at  New  Orleans.  The 
municipal  authorities  do  not  permit  the  merchandise  to  lie  on 
the  landing  more  than  five  days.  If  the  requisite  papers  are  not 
made  out  within  that  time,  the  goods  arc  sent  to  bonded  ware- 
houses. This  contingency  not  unfrequently  occurs.  The  pi'ess 
of  business  or  official  slowness  often  delay's  the  issue  of  the 
Custom  House  pass  beyond  the  specified   time,  and  then  the 


*  A  report  recently  marie  under  mnnicipnl  authority,  shows  that  at  the  date  of 
the  present  publioation,  November,  18G8.  more  than  ti.OOO  linilding.s — almost  all  of 
them  Ijuilt  of  l)rick,  and  many  of  them  faced  with  stone— are  either  now  in  process  of 
erection  or  just  linished. 


CHANGE    OF    NATIONAL   EMPIRE.  133 

"Western  importer  is  subject  to  the  serious  expense  which  the 
draj-age  to  the  warehouse,  loss  of  time,  and  frequent  damage  to 
the  goods,  involve.  The  gravity  of  this  embarrassment  forces 
many  of  our  merchants  to  pay  the  duties  at  New  Orleans. 
This  course  saves  delay  and  expense.  The  revenue  laws  recog- 
nize no  distinction  between  the  actual  payment  of  duties  and 
the  transportation  bond.  But  practically  there  is  an  important 
difference.  In  case  the  impost  is  paid  at  Now  Orleans,  the 
goods  are  almost  alwa3-s  forwarded  within  live  days;  but  when 
the  merchandise  is  shipped  under  a  transportation  bond,  the 
detention  is  very  frequently  ten  days,  and  sometimes  a  month. 
In  the  former  instance,  any  package  can  be  forwarded  as  soon 
as  the  duty  is  paid;  but,  in  the  latter  case,  the  imports  cannot 
be  dispatched  to  their  destination  till  the  entire  shipment  has 
passed  the  inspection  of  the  Custom  House.  In  consequence  of 
these  unjust  discriminations  against  St.  Louis,  many  of  our 
largest  importers,  notwithstanding  the  inconvenience  of  keeping 
gold  on  deposit  in  New  Oi-leans,  prefer  to  pay  the  duties  on 
their  foreign  goods  at  the  port  of  entry. 

An  excessive  and  unnecessary  delay  at  the  New  Orleans 
Custom  Ilouse  recently  subjected  one  of  our  merchants  to  a  loss 
of  §8  a  ton  on  a  shipment  of  iron. 

Last  season,  another  of  our  importers  ordered  a  large  stock 
of  Christmas  goods.  The  articles  reached  New  Orleans  in  sea- 
son, but  were  detained  there  till  after  the  holidays.  They  must 
now  be  kept,  with  loss  and  deterioration,  for  another  year ;  and, 
before  next  Christmas,  they  may  become  comparatively  worth- 
less by  changes  of  mode  and  new  directions  of  public  taste. 

These  examples  illustrate  the  importance  of  time  in  commer- 
cial transactions. 

The  Government  could  easily  obviate  all  the  difficulties  which 
our  importers  now  experience  by  making  St.  Louis  a  port  of 
entry.  The  commercial  embarrassments  of  the  present  system 
need  immediate  removal.  In  the  event  of  the  proposed  change, 
frauds  upon  the  Government  could  be  prevented  by  reshipping 
the  goods  at  New  Orleans  under  the  eye  of  the  Custom  House 
authorities,  keeping  them  during  the  voyage  under  lock  and 
key,  and,  if  necessary,  subjecting  them  on  the  passage  to  the 
surveillance  of  a  Revenue  officer.  During  the  rebellion,  the 
shipments  of  merchandise  to  Southern  ports  were  placed  under 
similar  supervision.  The  satisfactoiy  operation  of  this  system, 
amid  all  the  liabilities  to  abuse  which  exist  in  times  of  civil  tur- 
bulence, warrants  the  conviction  that  the  proposed  plan  would, 
in  a  period  of  peace,  prove  eminently  successful. 

If  Congress  respects  commercial  rights,  St.  Louis  will  soon 
become  a  port  of  entry. 


134  CHANGE    OF    NATIONAL   EMPIRE. 

From  the  records  of  the  United  States  Assessor,  it  appears 
that  in  1865  the  sales  of  612  St.  Louis  firms  amounted  to 
§140,688,856.  For  the  same  year,  the  imports  of  this  city 
reached  an  aggregate  of  §235,878,875 

The  manufactures  of  St.  Louis  constitute  an  important  element 
in  our  commercial  -transactions.  In  1860,  the  capital  invested 
in  manufactures  was  ?59, 205,205,  and  the  value  of  the  product 
was  §21,772,323.  In  1866,  the  mills  of  this  city  made  820,000 
barrels  of  flour. 

In  1865,  our  receipts  of  strain,  including  flour,  were...l7,Gj7,2oO  bushels. 
"  1SG6,  "  ^"  "  ...20.855,280 

"  1865,     exports  "  "  ...13,427.000        " 

*'  18G6,  *'  "  "  ...18,680,500 

St.  Louis,  though  the  eighth  city  in  the  United  States  in  popu" 
lation,  ranlis  as  seventh  in  the  importance  of  its  manufactures- 
Missouri  might  profitably  imitate  the  activity  of  its  metropolis. 

The  extent  of  our  social  and  commercial  intercourse  with  the 
rest  of  the  world  may  be  inferred  from  the  postal  statistics  of 
this  department.  In  1865,  the  number  of  letters  which  passed 
through  the  St.  Louis  Post  Office  for  distribution,  mail  or 
delivery,  was  about  11,000,000.  In  1866,  the  total  sum  of  postage 
collected,  including  the  sale  of  stamps,  was  more  than  3195,000; 
and  the  amount  of  raonej'  orders  paid  was  8145,000.  In  postal 
importance,  St  Louis  is  the  fifth  city  of  the  Union. 

The  earnings  of  our  railroads  indirectly  exhibit  the  magnitude 
of  our  trade.  For  the  fiscal  year  of  1865  the  total  receipts  of 
the  Iron  Mountain  were  §424,700;  Iv'orth  Missouri,  $1,013,000 ; 
Missouri  Pacific  and  Southwest  Branch,  §1,939,000;  Hannibal 
and  St.  Joseph,  §2,000,000.  In  1866,  the  earnings  of  the  Mis- 
souri Pacific  were  §2,670,000.  The  returns  of  the  Union  Pacific 
for  November,  1866,  were  §77,869.  The  Directors  estimate  their 
monthly  receipts  for  1867  at  §100,000. 

In  1865,  the  total  number  of  passengers,  by  river  or  rail,  w-ho 
made  St.  Louis  their  destination  or  a  point  of  transit,  amounted 
to  1,180,000;  and  in  1866,  1,250,000. 

In  1866,  the  number  of  liouses  and  firms  doing  business  in  St. 
Louis  was  5,500,  and  the  number  of  commercial  licenses  issued 
during  the  same  year  was  4,800. 

The  tonnage  owned  and  enrolled  in  the  district  of  St.  Louis  in 
1865  was  97,000  tons.  On  the  first  of  January,  1867,  the  amount 
of  our  steam  tonnage,  exclusive  of  a  large  number  of  barges  and 
canal  boats  Avhich  made  occasional  trips,  was  106,600  tons,  with 
a  carrying  capacity  of  186,  00  tons,  and  a  value  of  §10,376,000. 

Our  commerce  is  aided  by  ample  banking  facilities.  There 
are  in  St.  Louis,  in  addition  to   20  private   banks,  38  insurance 


CHANGE   OF   NATIONAL   EMPIRE.  135 

companies,  31  incorporated  banking  institutions,  with  an  actual 
capital  of  §15,000,000.  The  character  of  our  banks  stands 
de-ervodly  high  in  the  financial  world.  The  development  of  the 
territories  is  brini>:ing  large  deposits  to  our  banks,  creating  new 
demands  for  capital,  and  cxtetiding  the  channels  of  circulation. 

Our  trade  with  the  mountains  is  large  and  rapidly  increasing. 
In  18G5,  20  boats  set  out  from  this  port  for  Fort  Benton — which 
is  more  than  3,000  miles  from  St.  Louis — Avith  a  total  freight  of 
6,000.000  pounds. 

In  1866,  50  boats  sailed  for  Fort  Benton,  with  an  aggregate 
tonnage  of  10,284  tons.  In  three  instances  the  cost  of  assorted 
goods  was  as  follows  : 

13  tons  of  merchandise $12,000 

35    "  "  40,0C0 

40    "  "  G5,0(10 

Mean  cost  per  ton 1,300 

The  agent  who  furnishes  these  facts  feels  authorized  b}'  his 
experience  in  the  trade  of  the  Upper  Missouri  to  appraise  a  ton 
of  Montana  merchandise  at  §1,000. 

The  following  table  is  an  approximate  estimate,  based  upon  the 
preceding  data,  of  our  commerce  with  Montana  for  the  year 
1866: 

Number  of  boats 50 

*'         "  passengers 2.500 

Pounds  of  freight 13.000.000 

Value  of  merchandise $0,500,000 

The  trade  across  the  Plains  is  of  still  greater  magnitude. 
The  overland  freight  from  Atchison  alone  has  increased  from 
3,000,000  pounds  in  1861  to  21,500,000  in  1865. 

The  Overland  Dispatch  Company  have  courteousl}'  furnished 
me  with  estimates,  founded  upon  their  own  transactions,  of  our 
total  commerce  with  the  Territories  in  1865.  These  figures  do 
not  include  the  Fort  Benton  trade. 

ISfunaber  of  passengers  East  and  West  by  overland  coaches 4,800 

"                   '•              "               "     bj''    trains    and    private 
conveyances 50,000 

Number  of  wagons 8,000 

"       "  cattle  and  mules 100,000 

Pounds  of  freight  to  Plattsmouth 3.000.000 

"  "  Leavenworth  City....: 6,000,000 

"  "  Santa  Fe S,0(i0,()00 

♦»  '«  St    Jo.seph 10,000  000 

"  "  Nebraska  City 15,000.000 

"  "  Atchison 25.000.000 

•Government  freight 50.000.000 

Total  number  of  pounds 117.000.000 

Amount  of  treasure  carried  by  express $3,000,000 

"  •'  "       by  private  conveyance 30,000,000 


136  CHANGE  OP  NATIONAL  EMPIRE. 

The  Overland  Express  charge  3  per  cent,  for  the  transporta- 
tion of  bullion.  This  high  commission  and  the  hostility  of  the 
Indian  tribes  induced  many  miners  to  send  their  gold  East  by 
the  way  of  San  Francisco  to  Pafiama. 

In  1860,  tlie  total  assay  of  bullion  in  the  United  vStates  was 
,^81,389,540.  Of  this  aggregate,  $73,032,800  came  fron^  the 
Pacific  and  Eocky  Mountain  mines.  Upon  the  usual  estimate 
that  25  per  cent,  of  the  gold  and  •silver  escapes  assay,  the  entire 
product  of  the  country  in  1866  was  §100,000,000.  The  increase 
of  population  in  the  gold  regions,  the  richness  of  recent  discov- 
eries, and  greater  activity  in  raining  operations  indicate  a  still 
larger  aggregate  in  1867. 

In  1866,  the  Westward  traffic  of  Leavenworth  amounted  to 
$50,000,000.  This  aggregate  includes  the  Santa  Fe  trade,  whose 
value  last  year  was  about  ^35,000,000.  The  Westero  trade  of 
Nebraska  City  was,  in 

1868 Ifi.SOO.OOO  pounds. 

1864. 23,000,000       ' ' 

1865 44,000,000        " 

1866 30,000,000        " 

The  freightage  from  this  point  across  the  Plains  required,  in 
1865,  11,739  men,  10,311  wagons,  10,123  mule.s,  and  76,596  oxen. 

So  great  is  the  length  of  the  overland  routes  that  the  trains 
are  able  to  make  but  two  through  trips  a  year. 

The  Union  Pacific  railroad  already  extends  to  Fort  Harker. 
This  materially  shortens  the  extent  of  overland  freightage.* 

Distance  from  St.  Louis  to  Fort  Harker 508  miles. 

"  "     Fort  Harker  to  Denver 372      " 

"  "       "         "  Salt  Lake  City 81.0      " 

"  "       "         "  Virginia  City 1432      " 

The  length  of  these  lines  of  transportation,  the  slowness  of 
our  present  means  of  communication,  and  the  magnitude  of  our 
territorial  population  and  trade,  forcibly  illustrate  the  necessity 
of  a  Pacific  railroad. 

The  foregoing  summaries  exhibit  the  commerce  of  the  Missis- 
sippi Valley  with  the  mountains.  But  while  St.  Louis  does  not 
monopolize  the  trade  of  the  gold  regions,  it  j-et  sends  to  the 

*The  Union  Pacific,  Eastern  Division,  now  extends  to  Slieridan,  688  miles  west  of 
St.  Louis.  The  iiistaiice  fi-Din  .'^lieridan  to  Denver  i.s  175  miles,  and  from  Denver  to 
Cheyenne— wiiere  the  Union  Pacific  forms  a  junction  with  the  Northern  Hue — 112  miles. 

The  Northern  Pacilic  is  now  completed  S.'iO  miles  west  of  Omaha.  The  Central 
Pacific  now  runs  eastward  from  San  Franci.sco  more  than  600  miles  The  400  miles 
which  remain  to  be  built  will  probably  be  linishcd  by  the  fourth  of  July,  1869  — moi-e 
than  six  years  before  the  time  jn-e.-^cribed  by  law  for  the  completion  of  the  road.  Then 
an  unbroken  line  of  railway  of  3,300  miles"  long  will  stretch  from  New  York  to  .San 
Francisco.  This  gigantic  work,  prosecuted  during  the  most  formidable  rebellion  of 
mo<iern  times,  and  linished  amid  the  dei-angements  of  national  finance  incident  to 
civil  convulsions,  must  ever  be  regarded  as  an  extraordinary  triumph  of  American 
energy. 


CHANGE   OF   NATIONAL   EMPIRE.  137 

territories  by  far  the  largest  portion  of  their  supplies.  Even  in 
cases  where  merchandise  has  been  procured  at  intermediate 
points,  it  is  probable  that  the  goods  were  originalh-  purchased 
at  St.  Louis. 

During  the  rebellion,  the  commercial  transactions  of  Cincin- 
nati and  Chicago  doubtless  exceeded  those  of  St.  Louis.  The 
very  events  which  prostrated  our  trade  stimulated  theirs  into  an 
unnatural  activity.  Their  sales  were  enlarged  by  the  traffic 
which  was  wont  to  seek  this  market.      Our  loss  was  their  gain. 

The  Southern  trade  of  St.  Louis  was  utterly  destroyed  b}'  the 
blockade  of  the  Mississippi.  The  disruption  by  civil  commotions 
of  our  commercial  intercourse  with  the  interior  of  Missouri  was 
nearly  complete.  The  trade  of  the  [Northern  States,  bordering 
upon  the  Mississippi,  was  still  unobstructed.  But  the  merchants 
of  St.  Louis  could  not  afford  to  bu}^  commodities  which  they 
were  unable  to  sell,  and  country  dealers  would  not  purchase 
their  goods  w^here  they  could  not  dispose  of  their  produce. 
Thus  St.  Louis,  with  every  market  wholly  closed  or  greatly 
restricted,  was  smitten  with  a  commercial  paralj-sis.  The 
prostration  of  business  was  general  and  disastrous.  No  com- 
parison of  claims  can  be  just  which  ignores  the  circumstances 
that,  during  the  rebellion,  retarded  the  commercial  growth  of 
St.  Louis,  yet  fostered  that  of  rival  cities. 

Nothing  more  cleai^ly  demonstrates  the  geographical  superi- 
ority of  St.  Louis  than  the  action  of  the  Government  during  the 
war.  Notwithstanding  the  strenuous  competition  of  other 
cities,  our  facilities  for  distribution  and  a  due  regard  for  its  own 
interests  compelled  the  Government  to  make  St.  Louis  the 
Western  base  of  supplies  and  transportation.  During  the 
rebellion,  the  transactions  of  the  Government  at  this  point  were 
very  large.  General  Parsons,  Chief  of  Transportation  in  the 
Mississip]!!  Yalle}',  submits  the  following  as  an  approximate 
summary  or  the  operations  in  his  department  from  18G0  to  1865  : 

AMOUNT    OF    TRANSPORTATION. 

Cannons  and  caissons \ 800 

"Wagons 13,000 

Cattle 80,000 

Horses  and  mules 250,000 

Troops 1,000,000 

Pounds  of  military  stores 1,950,000,000 

General  Parsons  thinks  that  full  one-half  of  the  transporta- 
tion employed  by  the  Government  on  the  Mississippi  and  its 
tributaries  was  furnished  by  St,  Louis. 

Prom  September  1,    1861,   to   December   31,   1865,   General 
Haines,  Chief  Commissary  of  this  department,  expended  at  St. 
Louis,  for  the  purchase  of  subsistence  stores,  $50,700,000. 
9 


138  CHANGE   OF    NATIONAL   EMPIRE. 

During  the  war,  General  Myers,  Chief  Quartermaster  of  this 
department,  disbursed  at  this  city,  for  supplies,  tiansiportation^ 
and  incidental  expenses,  §180,000,000. 

The  national  exigencies  forced  the  Governmefit  to  select  the 
best  point  of  distribution.  The  choice  of  the  Federal  authorities 
is  a  conclusive  proof  of  the  commercial  superiority  of  St.  Louis. 

The  conquest  of  treason  has  restored  to  this  mart  the  use  of 
its  natural  facilities.  Trade  is  rapidly  regaining  its  old  chan- 
nels. On  it-^  errand  of  exchange  it  penetrates  every  State  and 
Territory  in  the  Mississippi  Valley,  from  Alabama  and  New 
Mexico  to  Minnesota  and  Montana.  It  navigates  ever}"  stream 
that  pours  its  tributary  waters  into  the  Mississippi.  It  visits  the 
islands  of  the  sea,  traverses  the  ocean,  and  explores  foreign  lands. 

Before  the  war,  almost  all  the  Western  trade  in  coffee  and 
sugar  was  carried  on  by  way  of  New  Orleans.  The  inti  rruption 
of  traffic,  b}'  the  blockade  of  the  Mississippi  river,  changed  the 
channels  of  commerce.  By  the  necessities  of  the  country,  trade 
was  forced  into  unnatural  courses.  Nevv  York,  by  its  limitless 
capital  and  enterprise,  has  obtained  a  brief  control  over  a  trade 
that  rightfully  belongs  to  the  West.  As  soon  as  the  country 
regains  its  normal  condition  and  commerce  resumes  its  natural 
flow,  the  West  will  inevitably  assert  its  former  and  legitiniate 
ascendanc_y  in  this  branch  of  business.  Most  of  the  cotlee  used 
in  the  West  is  brought  from  Rio  Janeiro.  AVater  carriage  is 
always  the  ch-apest  means  of  transportation.  The  rail  Irom 
New  York  cannot  compete  with  the  river  from  New  Orleans. 
Besides,  the  Gulf  route  is  the  shortest  distance  between  St. 
Xouis  and  Rio  Janeiro.  The  cost,  then,  of  importing  Kio  coffee 
to  this  point  is  much  less  by  New  Orleans  than  by  New  York. 
An  urgent  neci^ssity  exists  for  the  estabhshnient  of  lines  of 
steamers  between  New  Orleans  and  South  American  ports. 

A  direct  trade  with  the  West  Indies  and  South  America 
w^ould,  from  our  superior  facilities  of  transportation,  not  only 
place  the  control  of  the  grocery  business  of  the  Northwest  in 
our  hands,  but  also  greatly  enlarge  our  exiiortations.  The  West 
consumes  far  more  coifee  proportionately  than  the  East.  Sjouth 
America  uses  large  quantities  of  Western  flour.  There  would 
then  be  a  steady  and  growing  interchange  of  commodities 
between  these  countries. 

Missouri  flour  is  the  best  in  the  American  market.  This  is 
.an  important  advantage  in  favor  of  St.  Louis.  It  is  a  well- 
:ascertained  fact  that  flour  made  from  grain  gi-own  in  this  lati- 
tude bears  the  voyage  to  South  American  ports  better  t!}an  any 
•other.  The  experience  of  exporters  verities  this  assertion. 
'Our  flour  is,  then,  not  only  the  finest  in  the  United  States  {"or 
■homo  consumption,  but  also  the  best  for  exportation  to  tropical 
•countries. 


CHANGE    OF    NATIONAL   EMPIRE.  139 

St.  Louis  ought  to  cultivate  more  intimate  commercial  rela- 
tions with  Brazil.  Prior  to  our  acquisition  of  Eussian  America, 
the  area  of  this  country  was  500,000  square  miles  larger  than 
that  of  the  United  States.  Its  present  population  is  nearly 
10,000,000.     Of  its  principal  cities. 

Para  contain? 30,000  inhabitants. 

Pernambuco 80,000  " 

Bahia   130,000 

Rio  Janeiro -iOO.OOO 

The  exports  of  Brazil  are  coffee,  hides,  sugar,  caoutchouc,  rose- 
wood, mahogany,  Brazil  wood,  cinchona,  logwood,  cotton,  rice, 
sarsaparilla.sassafras,  ipecacuanha,  cacao,  vanilla,  cloves,  cinna- 
mon, and  tamarinds. 

in  1856,  the  value  of  the  commodities  imported  from  Brazil 
into  the  United  States  was — 

Brazilwood $32,000 

'•       nuts 43.000 

Rosewood 81,4G0 

Hair 138,240 

Su^ar 513,450 

IiiiTia  rubber 771 .320 

Raw  hides 1,930.220 

Coftee 10,001,700 

In  1857,  this  country  imported  from  Brazil  197,000,000  pounds 
of  coffee,  worth  817,980,000.  In  the  same  year  Brazil  exported 
to  foreign  markets  256,000,000  ])ounds  of  sugar. 

In  exchange  for  these  valuable  commodities,  Brazil  needs  lard, 
pork,  hams,  flour,  pine  lumber,  agricultural  implements,  textile 
fabrics,  and  other  manufactures.  Thexe  articles  are  the  chief 
staples  of  Western  growth  and  production.  The  Mississippi 
Valley  is  able  to  supply  most  of  the  commercial  wants  of  Brazil. 
St.  Louis,  as  the  main  distribuling  point  of  the  West,  ought  to 
take  the  load  in  this  grand  system  of  mercantile  exchanges.  A 
vast  commerce  must  soon  spring  up  between  the  metropolis  of 
this  valley  and  the  portsof  South  America.  Bat  at  present  our 
exports  to  Brazil  are  entirely  disproportioned  to  our  abilit}'  to 
meet  the  commercial  wants  of  that  countr}-.  In  1854-55,  the 
trade  of  England  with  South  America  was  five  times  as  large  aa 
that  of  the  United  States. 

In  18G0,  the  value  of  our  American  imports  from  Brazil  was. ..$20,000,000 

exports  "         "  ...     6,000.000 

These  figures  show  that  this  country  is  not  a  successful  com- 
petitor for  the  rich  trade  of  South  America.  More  energetic 
rivals  are  enriching  themselves  with  the  opulence  of  this  com- 
mcrco. 


140  CHANGE    or    NATIONAL   EMPIRE. 

The  M-niits  of  the  United  States  and  Brazil  are  conjplcment- 
ary.  Each  country  needs  the  productions  of  the  other.  The 
West  is  the  fruitful  and  main  source  of  those  commodities  which 
South  America  requires.  St.  Louis,  as  the  chief  emporium  of 
the  Mississippi  Valley,  is  able,  by  the  vast  expansion  which  it 
can  cause  in  this  tropic  trade,  to  turn  the  commercial  balance  in 
favor  of  the  United  States,  and  itself  become  the  central  dis- 
tributing point  of  Brazilian  staples. 

But  St.  Louis  can  never  realize  its  splendid  possibilities  with- 
out effort.  The  trade  of  the  vast  domain  lying  east  of  the 
Eocky  Mountains  and  south  of  the  Missouri  river  is  naturally 
tributary  to  this  mart.  St.  Louis,  by  the  exercise  of  forecast 
and  vigor,  can  easily  control  the  commerce  of  1,000,000  square 
miles.  But  there  is  urgent  need  of  exertion.  Chicago  is  an 
energetic  rival.  Its  lines  of  railroad  pierce  every  portion  of  the 
]S[orthwest.  It  draws  an  immense  commerce  b}^  its  network  of 
railways.  The  meshes  which  so  closely  interlace  all  the  adja- 
cent country-  gather  rich  treasures  from  the  tides  of  commerce. 
Chicago  is  vigorouslj^  extending  its  lines  of  road  across  Iowa 
to  the  Missouri  river.  The  completion  of  these  roads  will  inevi- 
tably divert  a  portion  of  the  Montana  trade  from  this  city  to 
Chicago.  The  energy  of  an  unlineal  competitor  may  usurp  the 
legitimate  honors  of  the  imperial  heir. 

St.  Louis  cannot  afford  to  continue  the  masterly  inactivity  of 
the  old  regime.  A  traditional  and  passive  trust  in  the  efficacy  of 
natural  advantages  will  no  longer  be  a  safe  policy.  St.  Louis 
must  make  exertions  equal  to  its  strength  and  worthy  of  its 
opportunities.  It  must  not  only  form  great  plans  of  commercial 
empire,  but  must  execute  them  with  an  energy  defiant  of  failure. 
It  must  complete  its  projected  railroads  to  the  mountains,  and 
span  the  Mississippi  at  St.  Louie  with  a  bridge  whose  solidity 
of  masonry  shall  equal  the  massiveness  of  Eoman  architecture, 
and  w^hose  grandeur  shall  be  commensurate  with  the  future 
greatness  of  the  Mississippi  Valley.  The  structure  whose  arches 
will  bear  the  transit  of  a  continental  commerce  should  vie  with 
the  great  works  of  all  time,  and  be  a  monument  to  distant  ages 
of  the  triumph  of  civil  engineering  and  the  material  glorj^  of 
the  Great  Eepublic. 

Since  these  sentences  were  written,  a  company,  comi^osed  of 
men  of  large  means  and  sterling  integrity,  has  been  incorpo- 
rated for  the  purpose  of  erecting  a  bridge  across  the  Mississippi 
at  this  point.  The  executive  and  financial  ability  of  its  mem- 
bers is  a  guarantee  of  elffcient  action  and  an  early  accomplish- 
ment of  this  great  work.  The  length  of  the  bridge,  together 
with  its  approaches,  will  be  about  3,500  feet,  and  the  probable 
cost  §5,000,000.     The  material  of  the   structure  will  be  steel. 


CnANGE    OF    NATIONAL    KMITUK.  141 

Chas.  K.  Dickson   is   prosidont  of  the  company,  and  Jamo3  B. 
Eads,  the  distinguished  inventor,  is  chief  engineer. 

The  initial  steps  for  the  erection  of  a  bridge  across  the  Mis- 
souri at  St.  Charles  have  already  been  taken.  The  work  should 
be  pushed  forward  with  untiring  energy  to  its  consummation. 

The  iron,  stone,  and  timber  necessary  for  these  structures  can 
be  obtained  within  a  few  miles  of  St.  Louis,  and  the  greater  part 
of  the  material  can  be  transported  by  water.  The  construction 
of  public  works  whose  cost  would  be  millions  of  dollars  would 
afford  employment  to  thousands  of  laborers,  and  give  fresh 
impulse  to  the  prosperity  of  St.  Louis. 

A  full  and  persistent  presentation  of  the  superior  claims  of 
Carondelet  ought  to  induce  the  Government  to  establish  a  naval 
station  at  that  point.  The  supply  of  labor  and  materiel  which  a 
navy  yard  Avould  require  would  be  another  source  of  wealth  to 
Missouri  and  its  metropolis. 

The  effect  of  improvements  upon  the  business  of  the  city  may 
be  illustrated  l)y  the  operations  of  our  citj'  elevator.  The  eleva- 
tor cost  8450,000,  and  has  a  capacity  of  1,250,000  bushels.  It  is 
able  to  handle  100,000  bushels  a  day.  It  began  to  receive  grain 
in  October,  1865.  Before  the  first  of  January,  18iJ6,  its  receipts 
amounted  to  600,000  bushels,  200,000  of  which  tcere  brought 
directly  from  Chicago.  The  total  receipts  at  the  elevator  in  1866 
were  1,370,700  bushels.  Grain  can  now  be  shipped,  by  way  of 
St.  Louis  and  New  Orleans,  to  JSTew  York  and  Europe  twenty 
cents  a  bushel  cheaper  than  it  can  be  carried  to  the  Atlantic 
by  rail. 

The  facilities  which  our  elevator  affords  for  the  movement  of 
cereals  have  given  rise  to  a  new  system  of  transportation.  The 
Mississippi  Valley  Transportation  Compan}'  has  been  organized 
for  the  couvoj'ance  of  grain  to  i^ew  Orleans  in  barges.  Steam 
tugs  of  immense  strength  have  been  built  for  the  use  of  the 
company.  They  carry  no  freight.  They  are  simply  the  motive 
power.  They  save  delay  by  taking  fuel  for  the  round  trip. 
Landing  only  at  the  large  cities,  they  stop  barely  long  enough 
to  attach  a  loaded  barge.  By  this  economy  of  time  and  steady 
movement,  they  equal  the  speed  of  steamboats.  The  Mohawk 
made  its  first  trip  from  St.  Louis  to  New  Orleans  in  six  days, 
with  ten  barges  in  tow.  The  management  of  the  barges  is  pre- 
cisely like  that  of  freight  cars.  The  barges  are  loaded  in  the 
absence  of  the  tug.  The  tug  arrives,  leaves  a  train  of  barges, 
takes  another,  and  proceeds.  The  tug  itself  is  always  at  work. 
It  does  not  lie  idle  at  the  levee  while  the  barges  are  loading. 
Its  longest  stoppage  is  made  for  fuel.  The  power  of  these  boats 
is  enormous.  The  tugs  plying  on  the  Minnesota  river  some- 
times tow  30,000  bushels  of  wheat  apiece.  The  freight  of  a 
single  trip  would  fill  85  railroad  cars. 


142  CHANGE    OF    NATIONAL   EMPIRE. 

Steamboats  are  obliged  to  remain  in  port  two  or  three  days 
for  the  shipment  of  freight.  The  heavy  expense  which  this 
delay  and  the  necessitj^  for  large  crews  involve  is  a  grave  objec- 
tion to  the  old  system  of  transportation.  The  service  of  the 
Bteam  tug  requires  but  few  men,  and  the  cost  of  running  is 
relatively  light.  The  advantages  which  are  claimed  for  the 
barge  system  are  exhibited  by  the  following  table : 

Tugs  and  barges.  Steamboats. 

Stoppage  at  intermediate  points 2  hours  6  hours 

"         "terminal              "      24     "  48     " 

Crew .' 15  50 

Tonnage 25,000  tons  1,500  tons 

Daily  expense $200  $1,000 

Original  cost $75,000  $100,000 

In  addition  to  the  ordinary-  precautions  against  tire,  the  barges 
have  this  unmistakable  advantage  over  steamboats :  the}'  can  be 
cut  adrift  from  each  other,  and  the  fire  restricted  to  the  nar- 
rowest limits.  The  greater  safety  of  barges  ought  to  secure  for 
them  lower  rates  of  insurance.  The  barges  are  very  strongly 
built,  and  have  water-tight  compartments  for  the  movement  of 
grain  in  bulk.  The  transportation  of  grain  from  Minnesota  to 
New  Orleans  by  water  costs  no  more  than  the  freightage  from 
the  same  point  to  Chicago.  After  the  erection  of  a  floating 
elevator  at  New  Orleans,  a  boat  load  of  grain  from  St.  Paul  will 
not  be  handled  again  till  it  reaches  the  Crescent  City. 

At  that  port  it  will  be  transferred  by  steam  to  the  vessel  which 
will  convey  it  to  New  York  or  Europe.  The  possible  magnitude 
of  this  trade  maj-  be  inferred  from  the  fact  that  in  1865  Minne- 
sota alone  raised  10,000,000  bushels  of  wheat.  Three  quarters 
of  this  harvest  could  have  been  exported  if  facilities  of  cheap 
transportation  had  oft'ered  adequate  inducement.  In  1SG6,  higher 
prices  —  which  produced  the  same  practical  result  as  cheaper 
freightage  —  led  to  the  exportation  of  8,000,000  bushels.  Some 
of  this  grain  belonged  to  the  crop  of  the  preceding  year.  But 
this  fact  does  not  at  all  aifect  the  question  of  carriage. 

From  the  1st  of  May  to  the  25th  of  December,  1866,  the  tow- 
boats  of  this  city  transported  120,000  tons  of  freight.  This  new 
scheme  of  conveying  freight  by  barges  bids  fair  to  revolutionize 
the  whole  carrying  trade  of  our  Western  waters.  It  will  mate- 
rially lessen  the  expense  of  heavy  transit,  and  augment  the 
commerce  of  the  Mississippi  river  in  proportion  to  the  reduction 
it  effects  in  the  cost  of  transportation.  The  improvement  which 
facilitates  the  carriage  of  our  cereals  to  market,  and  makes  it 
more  profitable  for  the  farmer  to  sell  his  grain  than  to  burn  it, 
is  a  national  benefit.  This  enterprise,  which  may  yet  change 
the  channel  of  cereal  transportation,  shows  what  great  results 
a  spirit  of  progressive  energy  may  accomplish. 


CHAXGE    OF   NATIONAL   EMriRE.  14S 

The  mercantile  interests  of  the  West  impei'atively  demand  the 
improvement  of  the  Mississippi  and  its  main  tributaries.  This 
is  a  work  of  such  prime  and  transcendent  importance  to  the 
commerce  of  the  country  that  it  challenges  the  co-operation  of 
the  Government.  A  commercial  marine  which  annually  trans- 
fers tens  of  millions  of  passengers,  and  cargoes  whose  value  is 
hundreds  of  millions,  ought  not  to  encounter  obstructions  which 
human  effort  can  remove.  The  yearly  loss  of  property  from 
the  interruption  of  communication  and  wreck  of  boats  roaches 
a  startling  aggregate. 

For  the  accomplishment  of  an  undertaking  so  vital  to  its 
municipal  interests,  St.  Louis  should  exert  its  mightiest  energies. 
The  prize  for  which  competition  strives  is  too  splendid  to  be 
lost  by  default.  The  Queen  City  of  the  West  should  not  volun- 
tarily abdicate  its  commercial  sovereignt}". 

If  the  emigrant  merchants  of  America  and  Europe,  who  recog- 
nize in  the  geographical  position  of  St.  Louis  the  guarantee  of 
mercantile  supremacy,  will  become  citizens  of  this  metropolis, 
they  will  aid  in  bringing  to  a  speedier  fulfillment  the  prophecies 
of  its  greatness.  The  current  of  Western  ti'ade  must  flow 
through  the  heart  of  this  valley. 

hi  the  march  of  progress  St.  Louis  will  keep  equal  step  with 
the  West.  Located  at  the  intersection  of  the  river  which  trav- 
erses zones,  and  the  railway  which  belts  the  continent,  with 
divergent  roads  from  this  centr6  to  the  circumference  of  the 
country,  St.  Louis  enjoys  commercial  advantages  which  must 
inevitably  make  it  the  greatest  inland  emporium  of  America. 
The  movement  of  our  vast  harvests  and  the  distribution  of  the 
domestic  and  foreign  merchandise  required  by  the  myriad 
thousands  who  will,  in  the  near  future,  throng  this  valley,  will 
develop  St.  Louis  to  a  size  proportioned  to  the  vastness  of  the 
commerce  it  will  transact.  This  metropolis  will  not  only  be  the 
centre  of  Western  exchanges,  but  also,  if  ever  the  seat  of 
government  is  transi'erred  from  its  present  locality,  the  capital 
of  the  nation. 

St.  Louis,  strong  with  energies  of  youthful  freedom,  and  active 
in  the  larger  and  more  genial  labors  of  peace,  will  greet  the 
merchants'  of  other  States  and  lands  with  a  friendly  welcome, 
afford  them  the  opportunities  of  fortune,  and  honor  their  ser- 
vices in  the  achievement  of  its  greatness. 

All  must  agree  upon  the  fact  of  the  wonderful  growth  of  the 
internal  commerce  of  the  country,  but  difference  of  opinion 
may  exist  as  to  how  that  commerce  will  be  distributed  so  as  to 
build  up  wealthy  and  powerful  cities  and  peoples.  This  is 
easily  determined.     In  the  very  nature  of  things,  the  tropical 


144  CHANGE    OF   NATIONAL   EMPIRE. 

climates  combine  with  the    temperate    to  produce  wealth  and 
sustenance  for  man,  but  never  to  any  success  do  the  temperate 
climates  combine  with  the  frozen  climates  to  produce  wealth 
and  commerce.     Besides  those  combinations,  the  rivers  in  all 
lands  that  have  been  serviceable  to  man  essentially  flow  to  the 
tropics.     These  facts  all  combine  in  favor  of  St.  Louis;  and  sur- 
rounded every  way  by   navigable   rivers,    approached   by  rail- 
ways, and  in  the  very  midst  of  the  finest  coal  and  iron  fields  in 
the  world,  a  destiny  of  unspeakable  greatness  is  thrust  upon  her, 
and  also  upon  the  West.     The  Illinois  coal  fields  are  estimated 
by  Prof.  II.  F.  Eodgers  to  contain  1,227,500,000,000  tons,  while 
the  Pennsylvania  coal  fields  contain  316,400,000,000  tons.     The 
Missouri  coal  fields  are  estimated  by  Prof.  G.  W.  Swallow  at 
109,500,000,000  tons,  and  yet,  owing  to  the  incomplete  geologi- 
cal survey  of  the  State,  it  is  thought  by  competent  men  that 
there  is  still  more  coal  in  Missouri.     All  the  coal  fields  of  Xorth 
America  are  estimated  at  4,000,000,000,000  tons  ;  the  coal  fields 
of  Great  Britain  at    190,000,000,000    tons.       The    Illinois  coal 
fields  contain  four  times  as  much  coal  as  those  of  Pennsylvania, 
nearly  one-third  as  much  as  all  those  of  J^orth  America,  and 
over  six  times  as  much  as  all  the  coal  fields  of  Great  Britain. 
It  is  reckoned  by  Prof.  Forrest  Shepherd  that  the  best  coal  fields 
of  Illinois    are  situated  along  the    Mississippi  river,  near   the 
southwestern'boundary,  and  adjacent  to  the  Missouri  iron  fields  ; 
that  Illinois   coal  will  have  to  be  used  in   the  manufacture  of 
Missouri  iron ;  and  that  the  daj^  is  not  distant  when  one  vast 
series  of   iron  foundries  and  workshops  will    line  the    Illinois 
and  Missouri  shores  of  the  great  river ;  and  thus  from  Illinois 
and  Missouri  will  grow,  within  one  hundred  to  one  hundred  and 
fifty  miles  south  of  St.  Louis,  greater  shops  than  the  minerals  of 
England  have  produced.    ISiothing  is  more  certain  than  this;  for 
all  that  nature  can  do  for  man  she  has  done  in  America,  and 
localized  it  in  the  Mississippi  Valley.     Within  100  miles  of  St. 
Louis,  gold,  iron,  lead,  zinc,  copper,  tin,  silvei',  platina,  nickel, 
emery,  cobalt,  coal,  lime  stone,  granite,  pipe  clay,  fire  chsy,  mar- 
ble, metallic  paints,  and  salt,  are  found,  all  of  which  will  repay 
for  working,  and  most  of  which  are  in  great  abundance.     Iron 
everywhere  in  civilized  life  is  more  valuable  than  gold.     In  con- 
nection   with    the   consideration    of  the    development   of    the 


CHANGE    OV    NATIONAL   EMPIRE.  145 

internal  trade  of  the  continent,  it  is  plain  to  be  seen  that  the 
interior  cities,  Chicago,  Cincinnati,  St.  Louis,  and  New  Orleans, 
are  destined  to  approach,  if  not  rival,  Boston,  New  York,  Phila- 
delphia, and  Baltimore,  in  wealth,  commerce,  population,  and 
matei'ial  power. 

Turn  which  way  we  will,  at  home  or  abroad,  and  everything 
points  to  the  future  development  and  population  of  the  Valley 
States  to  immeasurable  greatness — the  homo  of  more  millions 
of  intelligent,  industrious,  and  sovereign  people  than  now  live 
upon  the  globe. 

The  agricultural  growth  of  the  Northwestern  Yalley  States 
may  be  inferred  from  the  following  tables  deduced  from  the 
United  States  census  of  iSGO : 

In  18C0  the  whole  number  of  acres  of  improved  land  in  all 
the  States  and  Territories  was  163,261,389.     Of  this— 

Missouri  contain? 0,240,871 

Illinois V^,^lbi,iT^ 

Iowa 3,780,253 

Wiscon:^iu 3,746,036 

Minnesota 554,397 

Or  a  fraction  less  than  one-sixth.  27,582,030 

The  total  value  of  crops   for  1864  is  estimated  by  the  Agri- 
cultural Bureau  of  the  Department  of  the  Interior  to  have  been 
81,564,543,690.     Of  this  sum- 
Illinois  prodnceil $214,488,420 

Wisconsin 51,038,952 

Missouri 52,996,592 

Iowa 71.100,481 

Minnesota 13,168,123 

$403,092,574 

Or  more  than  one-fourth  of  the  value  of  the  entire  crops  of  the 
country.  But  these  estimates  of  value  are  the  estimated  value 
of  the  various  products  in  the  States  where  produced. 

Of  the  value  of  the  live  stock,  which,  on  the  1st  of  January, 
1865,  was  $990,876'*,128— 

Illinois  had $116,588,288 

Missouri 41,431,700 

Iowa 60.572,496 

Wisconsin 30,911,105 

Minnesota 8,800,015 

Or  more  than  one -fourth,  $273,303,730 


146  GHANOE    OF    NATIONAL   EMPIRE. 

A  juster  standard  by  which  to  measure  the  productiveness  of 
these  States  would  be  a  comparison  of  the  amount  of  their 
respective  products,  since  the  value  is  so  largely  affected  by  the 
distance  from  market. 

The  great  staples  of  agriculture  are  wheat,  corn,  beef,  and 
pork.  Comparing  these,  we  find  that  the  total  number  of 
bushels  of  wheat  produced  in  all  the  States  and  Territories  in 
1864  (except  the  cotton  States,  whose  production  was  almost 
nominal,  probably  not  more  than  one-sixth  of  what  it  was  in 
1860),  was  160,695,823  bushels,  of  which— 

Illinois  produced 33,371,173 

Missouri 3,281,514 

Wisconsin 14,1{;8,317 

Jowa 12,049,807 

Minnesota 2,(134.975 

66,105,786 
Or  a  fraction  less  than  one-half. 

The  total  number  of  bushels  of  corn  produced  was  630,451,403. 

Illinois  produced 138,856,135 

Missouri 36.635,011 

Wisconsin 10,087,053 

Iowa.... 55,261,240 

Minnesota 4,647,329 

244,986,768 
Or  nearly  one-half. 

The  whole  number  of  cattle  and  oxen,  January  1,  1865,  was 
7,072,591. 

Illinois  had 978,700 

Missouri 471,006 

Wisconsin 388,700 

Iowa 661,3:  8 

Minnesota 127,175 

2,526,979 
Or  more  than  one-third. 

The  total  number  of  hogs  was  13,070,887. 

Illinois  had 2,034,231 

Missouri 988,857 

Wi.«consin 340,038 

Iowa 1,423,507 

Minnesota 109,016 

4,896,309 
Or  more  than  one-third. 


CHANGE    OF    NATIONAL   EMPIRE.  147 

The  entire  popalalion  of  the  Uuited  States  in  1860  was 
31,443,322. 

Illinois  contained ], 711, 951 

Iowa 711,951 

Missouri 1,182,012 

Minnesota 172.123 

Wisconsin 775,881 

4,553,918 
Or  about  one-seventh. 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  these  five  States,  possessing  only 
one-seventh  of  all  the  population,  and  one-sixth  of  all  the  im« 
proved  land,  nevertheless,  in  1864,  produced  more  than  one- 
fourth  in  value  of  the  entire  crop — moi-e  than  one-fourth  in  value 
of  all  the  live  stock — more  than  one-third  in  number  of  all  the 
cattle  and  hogs,  and  nearly  one-half  of  all  the  wheat  and  corn 
grown  in  the  United  States.  Here  wo  find  four  and  one-half 
millions  of  agriculturists,  along  the  Upper  Mississippi,  produc- 
ing, in  a  single  year,  from  one-third  to  one-half  of  all  the 
productions  of  the  leading  staples,  of  an  estimated  value  of  six 
hundred  and  seventy-seven  millions  fifty-six  thousand  two 
hundred  and  four  dollars. 

An  examination  of  the  statistics  fully  establishes  the  additional 
fact  that  these  five  States,  during  the  years  1861,  '62.  and  '63, 
shipped  East  150  per  cent,  more  corn  and  meal,  and  25  per  cent. 
more  pork  products,  than  were  exported  from  the  entire  country 
durir  g  the  same  period.  These  States  not  only  supply  the  export 
wheat  of  the  entire  country,  but  also  the  export  corn  and  pork 
products.  The  contributions,  therefore,  made  by  Illinois,  Wis- 
consin, Misssouri,  and  Minnesota,  to  the  exports  of  the  United 
States  in  these  three  leading  agricultural  staples  alone,  are  as 
follows  : 

18r,0-l.  1801 -2.  ]  802-3. 

Wheat $ls.!):!8,780  $44,187,148  $55,647,979 

Corn  and  meal (i,;;S7,l()0  9,(109,879  9,628,357 

Pork  products 4,687.784  10,217,281  16,424,338 

Total $60,013,724  $64,014,308         $81,695,674 

The  entire  exports  of  domestic  products  of  the  United  States 
amounted  to — 

^       1860-1.                                                         1861-2.  1862-3. 

$217,666,953 $190,699,387 $260,666,110 


148 


CHANGE    OF    NATIONAL   EMPIRE. 


The  average  exports  of  the  country  for  the  three  j-ears  were 
$222,874,183  83,  and  the  average  exports  which  these  live  States 
•contributed  in  wheat,  corn,  and  pork  alone,  was  SG8,575,5GS  66, 
very  nearly  one-third. 

In  1861,  '62,  and  '63,  the  average  yearly  tonnage  of  all  Ameri- 
can ressels  engaged  in  trans-oceanic  commerce,  and  entering 
the  ports  of  the  United  States,  was  2,564,257  tons,  and  the 
average  tonnage  of  all  the  vessels  of  all  countries  engaged  in 
oceanic  commerce,  and  entering  the  ports  of  the  United  States, 
was  5,341,867  tons.  Now,  the  three  staples  contributed  by  these 
five  Upper  Mississippi  States  to  our  exports  were  equivalent  to 
1,315,000  tons  annually.  They,  therefore,  not  only  contributed 
one-third  in  value  to  our  entire  exports,  but  gave  employment 
upon  the  ocean  to  more  than  one-half  of  all  our  American  ton- 
nage, which  was  equivalent  to  one-fourth  of  all  the  tonnage  of 
all  nations,  our  own  included,  entering  the  United  States,  and 
engaged  in  trans-oceanic  commerce.  History  cannot  furnish  a 
parallel. 

The  Agricultural  Bureau,  basing  its  calculation  on  past  results, 
makes  the  following  approximate  estimate  of  the  cereal  product 
of  the  Northwest  for  the  next  four  decades : 

7,?J?':«-  Bushel,-;. 

l^'O 762,'200,000 

'*="'?0 1,21!),  520, 000 

IS^OO l,95l,2.']2,000 

i^^^ 3,121,970,000 

We  consume  in  this  country  an  average  of  about  five  bushels 
of  wheat  to  the  inhabitant,  but,  if  necessary,  can  get  along  with 
something  less,  as  we  have  many  substitutes,  such  as  corn, 
rye,  and  buckwheat.  It  is  estimated  that  our  population  will 
be,  in — 

1S70 42,000,000 

1880  50.000,000 

1890 77,000,000 

1900,  more  tli:m 100,000,000 

Accordingly,  wo  can  use  for  home  consumption  alone,  of 
wheat,  in — 

1870 210.000,000  bushels. 

1880 280,000,000 

1S90 ;!85,000,000        " 

3»00 500,000,000 


CHANGE   OF    NATIONAL   EMPIRE.  149 

From  1700  to  1817,  breadstuff's  were  the  chief  exports  of  some 
of  the  New  England  and  nearly  all  of  the  Atlantic  States.  Now 
New  England  produces  but  eleven  quarts  of  wheat  to  each 
inhabitant,  and  consumes  annually  of  agricultural  productions 
$50,000,000  more  than  she  produces.  Pennsylvania,  ihe  first, 
and  New  York,  the  third,  among  the  States  in  the  production  of 
wheat  in  1860,  are  now  calling  upon  the  "West,  the  former  for 
ten  per  cent,  and  the  latter  for  sixty  per  cent,  of  its  bread  | 
while  Ohio,  so  long  the  promise  land  of  the  emigrant,  is  now 
growing  but  very  little  more  wheat  than  will  meet  the  wants, 
of  a  population  equal  to  her  own.  Nearl}-  every  State  in  South 
America,  and  nearly  every  nation  in  Europe,  imports  agricul- 
tural produdts,  and  in  1863  the  United  States  sent  its  breadstuff's 
to  sixt}^  diff'erent  foreign  markets. 

Russia,  the  chief  grain  exporting  countr}-  of  the  Old  World, 
from  1857  to  1862,  inclusive,  only  exported  annually: 

Wheat I!l,sn7,202  bushels. 

Corn 2,211,932 

Thirty  years  ago  steamboats  engaged  in  the  river  trade  aggre- 
gated but  a  few  score.  Now  there  are  over  a  thousand.  In 
1865  the  imports  of  St.  Louis,  Cincinnati,  Louisville,  and  two  or 
three  minor  ]\Iississippi  towns,  were  of  the  value  of  §730,000,000. 
As  the  export  trade  of  these  places  was  about  equal  to  their 
imports,  we  have  for  the  entire  commerce  of  these  points  nearly 
$1,500,000,000.  But  this  does  not  include  the  commerce  of 
New  Orleans,  Memphis,  Dubuque,  and'  other  important  towns. 
Include  the  trade  of  these  points,  and  the  aggregate  value  of  the 
trade  of  the  Mississippi  and  its  tributaries  (the  Ohio  and  Mis- 
souri) in  1865  was  more  than  two  thousand  millions  of  dol- 
lars—  a  sum  equivalent  to  three  times  the  whole  foreign 
commerce  of  the  United  States. 

However  important  the  above  figures  may  appear,  they  must 
be  taken  as  only  a  fraction  of  what  will  be  the  yield  of  the 
Yalley  States  when  they  reach  a  high  state  of  cultivation. 

Not  only  are  we  great  in  coal,  iron,  wheat,  and  corn,  but 
transcendent  in  the  production  of  the  precious  metals,  as  the 
following  tables  will  show  : 


150 


CHANGE   OF    NATIONAL    EMPIRE. 


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CHANGE   OP    NATIONAL  EMPIRE. 


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152 


CnANGE    OF    NATIONAL   EMPIRE. 


Table  showing  the  growth  of  coinage  of  the  United  States  from  1793  to  18G7. 


Years. 

Gold. 

Silver. 

Copper. 

Total. 

1793  to  1800,    8   yrs 

$1,014,290  00 

$1,440,454  75 

$79,390  82 

$2,534,135  57 

1801  to  1810,  10   yrs 

3,250,742  50 

3,509,105  25 

1.51,246  39 

6,971,154  14 

1811  to  1820, 10   yrs 

3,166,510  00 

5,970,810  95 

191,158  57 

9,328,479  52 

1821  to  1830,  10   yrs 

1,903,092  50 

16,781,016  95 

1.51,412  20 

18, 835,. 5.51  05 

1831  to  1840, 10   yrs 

18,791,862  00 

27,199,779  00 

342,322  21 

46,333,963  21 

1841  to  1850, 10   yrs 

89,443,328  00 

22,226,755  00 

380,670  83 

112,0,50,753  83 

1851  to  1860,  OMyrs 

470,838,180  98 

48,087,763  13 

1,249,612  53 

.520,175,-556  04 

1861  to  1867,   7    yrs 

296,987,404  63 

12,638,732  11 

4,860,3.50  00 

314, 475,. 546  74 

Total,  74   yrs 

$885,375,470  61 

$137,914,587  14 

$7,415,163  55 

$1,030,705,141  30 

I  have  already  intimated  that,  instead  of  the  people  of  the 
Yalley  States  looking  to  India,  China,  and  Japan,  for  commerce, 
as  the  popular  but  superficial  judgment  seems  now  to  incline, 
their  interest  lies  in  the  tropics  of  our  own  hemisphere ; 
that  instead  of  indulging  in  wild  and  chimerical  speculations, 
across  distant  oceans  to  distant  lands,  for  things  relatively  use- 
less in  life,  they  must  look  to  the  islands  of  the  Gulf,  Mexico, 
Central  and  South  America,  for  the  wealth  and  products  of  those 
count  I'ies. 

An  important  element  of  that  wealth  may  be  inferred  from 
the  following  table: 


CnANQE    OF   NATIONAL   EMPIRE. 


153 


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154 


CHANGE    OF    NATIONAL   EMPIRE. 


By  the  preceding  tables  it  will  be  seen  that  a  people  grasping^ 
for  wealth  can  find  more  of  it  in  the  Southern  countries  than 
in  the  Orient;  and  certainly  they  will  go  there  for  it. 

ISTHMUS  CANAL. 

Besides  whatever  importance  there  may  be  attached  to  the 
trade  of  the  Orient,  our  practical  age,  united  with  the  necessities 
of  our  commerce,  will  demand  the  construction  of  a  ship  canal 
across  the  Isthmus  of  Darien.  Not  only  our  own  commerce,  but 
also  that  of  England  and  France,  demand  its  construction.  The 
most  important  interest  demanding  its  construction,  at  the 
present  time,  is  represented  by  the  following  tables : 

Table  of  the  saving  in  distance  from  New  York  to  the  following- 
places,  by  the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  over  the  Cape  routes. 


From  New  York  to— 


Calcutta 

Canton 

Shanghai 

Valparaiso 

Callao 

Guayaquil 

Panama 

San  Bias 

Mazatlan 

San  Diego 

San  Francisco 

"Wellington,  N.  Z 

Melbourne,  Australia, 


Miles. 
17,500 
19,500 
20,000 


13,740 
13,230 


Miles. 

23,000 

21,500 

22,000 

12,900 

13,500 

14,300 

16,000 

17,800 

18,000 

18,500 

19,000 

11,100 

12,720 


>  OS 


Miles. 

13,400 

10,600 

10,400 

4,800 

3,500 

2,800 

2,000 

3,800 

4,000' 

4,500 

5,000 

8,480 

9,890 


V5 


Miles. 

9,600 
10,800 
11,600 

8,100 
10,000 
11,500 
14,000 
14,000 
14,000 
14,000 
14,000 

2,620 

2,830 


> 

O  V 


Miles. 
4,100 
8,900 
9,600 


5.260 
3,340 


CHANGE   OF    NATIONAL  EMPIRE. 


155^ 


Table  showing  the  trade  of  the    United  States  that  icould  pass 
througfr  the  Isthmus   Canal  if  now  finished. 


Countries  traded  with. 


Export?  and 
Imports. 

Tonnao^e. 

$        126,537 

$ 

5,73a 

004,550 

16,589 

4,728,083 

52,105 

11,744,151 

177,121 

98,432 

3,665 

9,601,063 

34,673 

5,375,354 

131,708 

425,081 

36,599 

0,645,634 

63,749 

716,679 

193,131 

48,979 

1,979 

1,157,849 

33,876 

12.752,002 

123,578 

80,143 

4,549 

10,796,090 

116,730 

35,000,000 

861,698 

$100,294,687 

$  1,857,485 

92,874,250 

$193,168,937 

$9 

2,874,250 

Alaska 

Dutch  East  Indies 

Briti.>ih  Australia  and  New  Zealand, 

British  East  Indies 

French  East  Indies 

Half  of  Mexico 

Half  of  New  Granada 

Central  America 

Chili 

Peru , 

Ecu.-idor 

Sandwich  Islands 

China 

Other  ports  in  Asia  and  Pacific 

"Whale  Fisheries 

California  to  East  United  States 

Value  of  cargo 

Value  of  ships  at  $50  per  ton 

Total  value  of  ships  and  cargo 


Table  showing  the  trade  of  England  that  would  pass  through  the 
Isthmus  Canal  if  now  finished. 


Countries  traded  with. 


Half  of  Mexico 

Half  of  Central  America. 
Half  of  New  Granada.... 
Chili , 


Peru 

Ecuador 

Chma,         I  Qnt^y_^rd  only,  forty  days  saved 

S?ngkpore,j     ^^^'^^^^ 

Australia  and  New  Zealand 

Sandwich  Islands 

California 


Value  of  trade 

Value  of  ships  at  $50  per  ton. 


Total  value  of  trade  and  ships. 


Exports  and 
Imports. 

Tonnage. 

$    2,775,137 

$       11,833 

1,244,817 

5,615 

2,437,605 

10,188 

15,486,110 

118,311 

20,473,.-)20 

244,319 

360,015 

1,820 

f     7,077,390 

68.520 

\     3,821;410 

16,003 

4.364,070 

16,500 

78,246,095 

522,426 

520,560 

1,9.50 

2,378,105 

11,800 

$139,184,834 

$  1,029,295 

51,464,750 

1    $190,649,584 

$51,404,750 

156 


CHANGE    OF    NATIONAL   EMPIRE. 


Table  showing  the  trade  of  France  that  would  pass  through  the 
Isthmus  Canal  if  now  finished. 


Countries  traded  with. 


Chili 

Peiu 

Half  of  Mexico 

Half  ot  New  Granada 

Ecuador 

Boiivia 

California 

Dulch  East  Indies.  }0'^t^^'-^l«"^J^- 

Sandwich  Islands 

Philiiplne  Islands 

Australia 

Value  of  cargoes 

Value  of  ships  at  $50  per  ton 

Total  value 


Exports  and 
Imports. 


$10, 

13. 

2, 

1, 


000,000 
160.000 
790,000 
090,000 
440,000 
100,000 
073,859 
180,000 
440,000 
000,000 
000,000 
800,000 


$59,073,859 
8,136,750 


$67,210,609 


Tonnage. 


25,688 

'io,004 
2,389 
1,651 
1,000 
8,997 
2,028 

20.400 
4,119 
1,463 

50,000 


162,735 


8,136,750 


Table  showing  the  total  tonnage  that  would  yearly  pass  through 
the  Isthmus  Canal  if  noio  finished. 


Tons. 


United  States.... 

England , 

France ., 

Other  countries. 

Total 


1,857,485 

1,029,295 

162,735 

44,555 


3,094,070 


Table  showing  the  general  result  of  the  foregoing  tables. 


Tonnage  and  trade  of  the  United  States.... 

England 

"  "  France  

"  *'  Other  countries. 


$193,168,937 

190,649,584 

67,210.609 

16,802,000 


CHANGE   OF   NATIONAL   EMPIRE.  157 

These  tables  show  items  of  vast  importance  to  the  trade  of 
the  world  aud  its  approaching  change.  That  a  ship  canal  will 
bo  constructed  across  the  Isthmus,  there  is  no  manner  of  doubt. 
In  further  demand  of  its  construction,  the  United  Slates  would 
save  yearly  by  it,  in  her  shipping,  §35,995,930.  England  would 
save  by  it  yearly  $9,950, 'U8.  France  would  save  by  it  yearly 
§2,183,930.  The  trade  of  the  world  would  save  by  its  construc- 
tion §49,530,208. 

With  this  vast  amount  of  trade  awaiting  its  construction,  we 
can  safely  say  that  the  time  for  its  completion  is  not  remote,  and 
it  will  give  a  new  growth  and  vitality  to  our  country  and  to  the 
Valley  States.  Then  will  the  Mississippi  river  and  the  Lake 
and  Gulf  railways  become  the  greatest  commercial  channels  on 
the  continent,  thus  increasing  our  internal  trade  and  augment- 
ing the  commercial  supremacy  of  St.  Louis.  The  close  prox- 
imity of  our  Gulf  ports  to  such  a  canal  would  necessarilj-  control 
that  portion  of  our  government  trade  for  the  Valley  States,  and, 
by  the  necessities  of  our  trade  and  the  wants  of  the  people,  give 
the  control  of  that  trade  to  St.  Louis. 

Several  efforts  have  been  made  within  the  last  sixteen  years 
to  provide  for  the  construction  of  this  great  canal,  but  as  yet 
without  success.  Very  recently  a  meeting  was  held  in  New 
York  city  for  the  purpose  of  organizing  a  company  and  securing 
the  required  financial  aid  for  its  construction.  The  following 
statement  of  the  meeting  is  taken  from  the  December  number 
of  Appleton's  Railway  Guide,  and  will  be  found  interesting  to 
the  reader : 

IMPORTANT   COMMERCIAL   ENTERPRISE  — A    CANAL 
TO  BE  MADE  ACROSS  THE  ISTHMUS  OF  PANAMA. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  corporation  of  the  Isthmus  Canal  Com- 
pany, held  at  the  residence  of  Peter  Cooper,  Esq.,  the  company 
was  organized  by  electing  Mr.  Cooper  as  president,  and  Fred. 
A.  Conklin  as  secretary. 

The  Secretary  of  State  of  the  United  States,  the  Hon.  William 
H.  Seward,  and  the  Attornej^-General  of  the  United  States,  the 
Hon.  William  M.  Evarts,  having  come  frona  Washington  to  con- 
fer with  the  leading  capitalists  and  merchants  of  this  city  upon 
the  subject,  were  present,  and  laid  many  important  facts  before 
the  meeting.     Estimates  from  the  highest  sources  state  the  cost 


158  CHANGE   OF   NATIONAL   EMPIRE. 

of  the  work  at  $100,000,000.  The  following  gentlemen  were 
appointed  commissioners  to  obtain  subscriptions  to  the  stock  of 
the  company :  W.  F.  Coleman,  Marshall  O.  Roberts,  Cornelius 
K.  Garrison,  William  B.  Duncan,  and  Eichard  Scheil. 

Among  those  present  at  the  meeting  were  many  gentlemen 
prominent  as  capitalists,  merchants,  and  as  members  of  the 
learned  professions.  Charts  of  surveys  of  the  proposed  route, 
by  Frederick  W.  Kelley  and  other  eminent  engineers,  were 
exhibited,  which  demonstrated  the  feasibilit}^  of  the  undertak- 
ing, and  entire  conjSideuce  was  expressed  in  its  ultimate  success 
as  a  woi'k  of  engineering  and  as  a  commercial  enterprise. 

During  the  discussion,  the  Hon.  William  H.  Seward  spoke 
substantially  as  follows : 

SPEECH   OP   THE    SECRETARY   OF    STATE. 

"  Gentlemen  :  Ever  since  the  canal  of  the  Pharaohs  across 
the  Isthmus  of  Suez  fell  into  disuse,  and  was  lost  under  changes  of 
society  and  nature,  commerce  has  desired  the  restoration  of  that 
original  and  most  feasible  channel  of  trade  and  intercouse 
between  the  Atlantic  and  the  Pacific  nations.  The  discovery  of 
the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  supplied  a  costly  and  hazardous  substi- 
tute, which  Avas  eagerly  accepted.  The  exploration  of  the 
newly-discovered  American  continent,  at  the  beginning  of  the 
sixteenth  century,  disclosed  at  once  necessities  for  a  better  chan- 
nel to  be  constructed  across  that  continent,  and  made  a  full 
revelation  that  that  better  channel  could  be  constructed  across 
that  continent,  and  nowhere  else.  During  the  past  three  hun- 
dred years  statesmanship  and  humanitarianism  have  combined 
with  ever-increasing  diligence  and  effort  to  find  the  means  of 
effecting  an  enterprise  which  is,  perhaps,  the  only  one  that  ever 
has  commanded  universal  assent  and  commended  itself  to  the 
desire  of  all  mankind.  Every  advance  of  modern  civilization  in 
Europe,  the  establishment  of  every  new  nation  in  America, 
every  opening  of  any  secluded  Asiatic  State  and  nation  that  has 
occurred,  has  increased  the  zeal  and  the  energy  of  the  friends  of 
progress  in  favor  of  a  canal  across  the  Isthmus  of  Darien.  We 
habitually  feel  and  say  that  we  are  living  in  an  important  and 
interesting  period.  We  do,  indeed,  have  occasion  and  oppor- 
tunity to  labor  effectually  in  various  ways  in  the  cause  of 
civilization  and  humanity;  but,  if  I  do  not  mistake,  the  chief  of 
all  the  advantages  of  statesmen  of  the  present  day  in  all  the 
countries  is.  that  they  can  take  part  in  the  construction  of  a 
canal  across  the  Isthmus  of  Darien. 

"  Gentlemen,  to  accept  our  respective  parts  in  this  great  enter- 
prise is  the  work  of  this  night.  We  are  Americans.  We  are 
charged  with  responsibilities  of  establishing  on  the  American 
continent  a  higher  condition  of  civilization  and  freedom  than 


CHANGE   OF   NATIONAL  EMPIRE.  159 

has  ever  before  been  attained  in  any  part  of  the  world.  We  all 
acknowlediie  and  feel  this  responsibility.  The  destiny  which  we 
wish  to  realize  as  Americans  is  set  plainly  before  us,  and  dis- 
tinctly within  our  reach  ;  but  that  destiny  can  onl}'  be  attained 
by  the  execution  of  the  Darien  ship  canal.  The  reason  is  obvi- 
ous. While  the  electric  telegraph  can  and  must  be  used  for  the 
interchange  of  ideas  between  nations,  and  while  improved  high- 
ways must  and  will  be  used  for  overland  travel  and  intercourse, 
yet  the  mineral,  forest,  and  agricultural  bulky  productions  of 
the  earth  can  only  be  exchanged  by  navigation,  and  this  naviga- 
tion must  be  made  as  cheap  and  as  frequent  and  as  expeditious 
as  is  possible.  But  as  to  navigation  by  sailing  vessels,  com- 
merce can  no  longer  afford  to  us  the  circuitous  and  perilous 
navigation  around  the  Capes.  It  must  and  will  have  shorter 
channels  of  transport,  and  of  these  there  can  be  but  two — the 
one  across  the  Isthmus  of  Suez,  the  other  across  the  Isthmus  of 
Darien.  A  canal  across  the  Isthmus  of  Suez  already  approaches 
its  completion.  If  that  channel  is  to  secure  the  patronage  of 
universal  commerce,  it  will  be  fully  enlarged  and  completely 
adapted  to  the  interests  of  modern  commerce.  In  that  case  the 
commerce  of  even  the  Atlantic  American  coast,  from  the  St. 
Lawrence  to  Cape  Horn,  will  be  turned  eastward  across  the 
Atlantic,  and  through  the  3Iediterranean  and  Eed  Seas,  and  the 
Indian  Ocean,  to"  India  and  China.  It  would  be  a  reproach  to 
American  enterprise  and  statesmanship  to  suppose  that  we  are 
thus  to  become  tributaries  to  ancient  and  effete  Egypt,  when  by 
piercing  the  Isthmus  of  Darien  we  can  bring  the  trade  of  even 
the  Mediterranean,  and  of  the  European  Atlantic  coast,  through 
a  channel  of  our  own,  so  palpably  indicated  b}^  nature  that  all 
the  world  has  accepted  it  as  feasible  and  necessary. 

"We  have  undertaken  to  develop  the  resources  of  our  own 
continent,  and  to  regulate  and  restore  the  Asiatic  nations  to 
free  self-government,  prosperity,  and  happiness.  The  Darien 
ship  canal  is  the  only  enterprise  connected  with  the  great  work 
of  civilization  which  remains  to  be  undertaken.  It  was  a  mis- 
take to  suppose  that  we  have  been  hitherto  either  inactive  or 
idle  in  regard  to  this  important  matter.  We  have  built  a  rail- 
road across  the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  and  within  twelve  months 
raiore  we  shall  have  stretched  a  railroad  across  the  continent 
from  New  York  to  San  Francisco.  Wo  have  abundant  assur- 
ance that  these  achievements  are  profitable  and  useful.  Both  of 
them,  however,  are  profitable  and  useful  only  as  types  and 
shadows  of  the  Darien  ship  canal,  which  we  all  feel  and  know 
must  be  transcendently  profitable  and  transcendently  useful. 

"The  executive  Government  of  the  United  States,  gentlemen, 
has  adopted  the  enterprise  in  which  you  are  engaged.  It  has 
provided  for  a  full,  satisfactory,  and  final  survey,  preparatory  to 


160  CHANGE   OF    NATIONAL   EMPIRE. 

the  construction  of  the  Darien  ship  canal.  It  is  engaged  in 
negotiating  with  the  Eepublic  of  Colombia  for  its  consent  to 
your  achievement  of  the  enterprise.  The  Prei^ident  will  go  for- 
ward with  renewed  zeal  and  vigor  on  receiving  the  assurances 
which  you  have  given  me  that  the  city  of  New  York  has  named 
the  men  who  will  undertake  that  achievement,  and  stand  ready 
to  furnish  the  hundred  million  dollars  which  it  may  be  expected 
to  cost." 

EXPENSES. 

Lest  some  should  still  be  read}^  to  object  on  account  of  some 
trivial  cause,  and  especially  on  account  of  the  public  expense 
necessary  to  make  the  change  and  erect  new  buildings,  I  submit 
the  following  statement  from  the  Hon.  Hugh  McCuUoch,  Secre- 
tary of  the  United  States  Treasury,  giving  the  cost  ot  the  public 
grounds  and  buildings  at  Washington  : 

Treasury  Department,  September  28,  18G8. 
Sir:     In  reply  to  yom-  inquiries,  I  have  to  say  that  the  total  amount 
expended  in  the  District  of  Columbia  from  the  time  the  seat  of  "jovern- 
ment  was  located  there  to  June  30th,  1868,  for  pubhc  works  of  every 
description,  includino:  buildings  and  works  of  art,  is  $37,390,853.08. 

The  real  estate,  exclusive  of  buildinfjs,  was  assessed  at  $13,412,293.26, 
in  3858.  Since  that  time  there  has  been  no  assessment  of  which  the 
Department  is  advised. 

Very  respectfully, 

HUGH  Mcculloch, 

Secretary  of  the  Treasury. 
L.  U.  Keaa^s,  Esq., 

St.  Louis,  Mo. 

By  this  statement  it  will  be  seen  that  the  expense  of  erecting 
the  public  buildings  at  Washington  City  is  far  below  the  amount 
supposed  by  those  who  have  ventured  an  opinion  upon  the 
subject. 

On  the  following  page  will  be  found  a  statement  from  the 
Hon.  O.  H.  Browning,  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  showing  the 
extent  of  the  public  grounds  in  the  District  of  Columbia.  The 
statement,  like  that  of  the  public  expenditures,  is  much  below 
that  which  the  uninformed  individual  would  have  estimated. 


CHANGE   OF    NATIONAL  EMPIRE. 


IGl 


Department  of  thtc  Intebior,  1 

Washington,  D.  C,  Ueceuibt-r  19,  18G8.   / 

Sir:  lieferriiifi:  to  your  request  of  the  1st  inst.,  1  inclose  herewith  for 
your  information  a  statement  showing  tlie  extent  of  the  public  grounds 
in  the  District  of  Columbia. 

1  am,  sir,  very  respectfully, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

O.  II.  BROWNING, 

Secretary , 
L.  U.  Reavis,  Esq., 

St.  Louis,  Mo, 


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162  CHANGE   OP   NATIONAL  EMPIRE. 

A  change  of  the  seat  of  government  does  not  imply  a  loss  of 
the  public  buildings  at  Washington,  by  any  means,  for  all  the 
valuable  material  can  be  easily  moved  and  put  in  the  new 
buildings;  and  by  this  means  new  and  better  buildings  can  be 
erected  at  a  less  cost  than  were  the  present  ones.  Good  engin- 
eers freely  express  the  entire  feasibility  and  safety  of  taking 
down  and  removing  either  or  all  the  present  government 
buildings,  and  they  can  be  taken  down,  moved,  and  newly 
erected,  in  five  years.  Boats  can  bring  the  materials  all  the 
way  round  by  water,  and  land  them  at  the  new  seat  of  govern- 
ment at  far  less  expense  than  was  first  required  to  collect  them 
together  at  Washington. 

But  the  cost  of  the  change  and  the  erection  of  the  buildings 
is  a  matter  of  but  small  consideration.  An  expense  of 
$1(:0,000,000  would  be  of  little  concern  to  this  great  nation, 
■and  especially  when  it  would  probably  be  twenty  years  in 
spending  it.  It  is  true  that  for  the  Capital  of  the  New  Eepublic 
would  be  required  buildings  of  more  magnificent  structure  than 
those  of  the  Old  Government  —  more  magnificent  than  were 
ever  yet  wrought  by  human  hands.  In  anticipation  of  loftier 
and  purer  American  statesnaen  than  now  are,  the  Eepublic  will 
require  more  magnificent  legislative  halls.  In  anticipation  of 
the  future  grandeur  and  goodness  of  the  Eepublic,  department 
buildings  far  superior  and  more  commodious  than  the  pi-esent 
will  be  required.  In  anticipation  of  a  wiser  and  better  people 
all  over  the  land,  the  New  Eepublic  will  be  required  to  give 
national  aid  to  the  distribution  of  knowledge  among  its  citizens 
and  mankind,  and  thus  Avill  be  demanded  departments  for  these 
beneficent  purposes.  Yet  the  expense  for  all  is  insignificant, 
when  considered  in  the  light  of  the  future  growth  of  the 
Eepublic. 

Again,  the  national  expense  will  be  reduced,  by  the  removal  of 
the  seat  of  government  to  the  Yalley  States,  by  cutting  short 
the  mileage  of  new  members  of  Congress  that  will  yet  claim 
seats  as  representatives  and  senators  of  the  new  States  yet  to 
be  born  into  the  family  of  the  Eepublic.  This  item  alone,  small 
as  it  may  seem,  will  in  time  show  largely  on  the  side  of 
economy. 

Again,  there  exists  an   intolerable  objection  to  the  seat  of 


CHANGE   OF    NATIONAL   EMPIRE. 


1C3 


government  remaining  at  "Washington,  on  account  of  the 
inconvenience  to  reach  it,  and  also  on  account  of  the  poverty 
and  monopoly  of  its  markets.  Those  who  know  anything  of  the 
markets  at  Washington  Ciiy  know  that  they  are  scantily  sup- 
plied, and  that,  too,  with  products  that  bear  no  comparison 
with  Western  products;  and  besides  their  inferiority  and 
scarcity,  the  people  are  compelled  to  buy  or  do  without.  These 
would  seem  to  be  insignificant  items ;  but  when  we  consider  the 
immense  use  of  such  products  at  a  national  capital,  they  at 
once  become  items  of  great  concern. 

The  seat  of  government,  located  at  St.  Louis,  will  be  placed  at 
the  center  of  the  best  means  of  public  communication  from  all 
parts  of  the  country  afforded  on  the  continent;  besides,  situ- 
ated in  the  midst  of  the  best  products  of  the  Mississippi  Valley, 
where  there  can  be  no  scai'city  and  no  monopol}^. 

It  has  been  foolishly  argued  by  some  that  the  seat  of  govern- 
ment, at  any  point,  is  a  means  to  generate  demoralization  and 
corruption  in  the  people.  This  objection  is  so  silly  that  it 
deserves  to  be  noticed  in  order  to  render  it  contemptible.  It  is 
one  of  those  objections  often  made  by  individuals  who  can  always 
see  more  faults  in  their  neighbors  than  they  can  in  themselves. 
It  is  made  by  those  who  look  upon  the  dark  side  of  the  pictui*e 
of  human  life  with  doubt  and  distrust,  and,  by  thus  expressing 
themselves,  are  enemies  to  the  highest  interests  of  human  society. 
Away  from  that  dark  picture ;  away  from  the  faith  or  influence 
of  him  or  her  that  does  not  have  implicit  confidence  in  the 
success  of  the  EepubUc !  Never  before  in  the  history  of  man- 
kind has  individual  or  national  life  reached  so  high  a  plane  in 
intellectual  and  moral  progress  as  at  the  present  hour.  To  con- 
tend that  the  seat  of  government  of  the  Eopublic  is  a  means  to 
breed  corruption  and  guilt,  is  to  contend  that  one's  self  is  a 
villain,  and  that  his  neighbors  are  hypocrites  and  demagogues, 
that  society  is  a  farce,  and  the  law  a  blank.  It  is  not  so.  The 
capitals  of  England,  France,  Turkey,  China,  Eussia,  Mexico, 
and  nearly  all  the  great  nations  of  the  earth,  are  located  at  the 
great  cities. 

Let  us  have  faith  in  the  people,  and  let  it  be  said  in  all  truth 
that  if  the  people  send  honest  and  upright  men  to  the  national 
legislature,  society  will  be  as  pure  and  statesmanship  as  elevated 


164  CHANGE    OF   NATIONAL   EMPIRE. 

at  the  seat  of  government  as  the  most  upright  and  enlightened 
can  desire. 

Let  us  look  on  the  bright  side,  and  resolve  that  none  shall 
represent  the  New  liepublic  but  the  pure  and  the  wise,  the 
faithful  and  the  upright,  and  all  will  be  well. 

One  of  the  most  important  duties  for  the  American  people  to 
perform  is  tliat  wdiich  looks  directly  to  the  elevation  of  the 
national  life,  and  this  work  must  be  begun  at  homo.  Let  no 
man  bo  blind  to  this  fact.  If  the  stream  is  impure,  the  fountain 
must  be,  also.  If  the  people  w^ant  temperance,  virtue,  morality, 
honesty,  and  moral  and  intellectual  grandeur,  in  cit}'  councils. 
State  legislatures,  and  in  the  national  Congress,  they  must  first 
acquire  the  supremacy  of  those  excellencies  at  homej  and  they 
who  do  Bot  contend  earnestly  for  these  virtues  and  attainments 
at  home  are  hypocritical  grumblers  against  their  neighbors  and 
rulers.  Then,  let  the  lesson  first  be  unerringly  taught  at 
home,  and  its  meaning  will  be  indelibly  impressed  upon  the 
national  life. 

Already  the  sentiment  for  a  better  state  of  society  and  gov- 
ernment is  germinating  in  the  hearts  of  the  people,  and  corrupt 
politicians  will  soon  give  place,  all  over  the  land,  to  worthy  and 
capable  statesmen.  Let  us  all  labor  to  hasten  the  change,  in 
the  hope  that,  when  some  future  Plutarch  weighs  the  coming 
men  of  the  Eepublic,  they  will  be  the  grandest  growth  of  the 
human  race. 


SPECIAL  AND  LOCAL  CONSIDERATIONS. 


In  addition  to  the  genera]  arguments  which  have  been  given 
in  the  preceding  pages  in  favor  of  the  removal  of  the  seat  of 
government  to  the  Mississippi  Valley,  and  the  indication  of  St. 
Louis  as  the  most  suitable  place  for  it,  the  following  map  of 
lands,  together  with  local  and  special  facts,  are  presented  as 
supplemental  considerations. 

Last  winter  the  Hon.  C.  A.  Newcomb,  member  of  Congress 
from  Missouri,  oifered  a  bill  in  Congress  providing  for  the 
removal  of  the  seat  of  government  from  Washington  Cit}^  to 
St.  Louis.  In  co-operation  with  Mr.  Newcomb's  bill,  the  Hon. 
G.  A.  Finkelnburg,  member  of  the  Legislature  of  Missouri, 
offered  the  following  bill  authorizing  the  State  of  Missouri  to 
cede  a  certain  portion  of  her  territory  to  the  exclusive  use  and 
control  of  the  General  Government,  in  consideration  of  the 
National  Capital  being  moved  to  the  portion  of  territory  ceded. 

An  Act  to  cede  a  portion  of  the  territory  of  St.  Louis  county, 

in  the  State  of  Missouri,  to  the  United  States  of  America,  for 

a  seat  of  government  of  the  United  States. 

Section  1.  Be  it  enadted  by  the  General  Assembly  of  the  State  of 
Missouri,  as  follows  :  That  so  much  of  the  territory  of  the  State 
of  Missouri  as  is  included  within  limits  and  boundaries  following, 
to-wit:  Beginning  at  a  point  in  the  Mississippi  river  one  mile 
south  of  Chouteau  avenue,  in  the  city  of  St.  Louis;  thence 
west  ten  miles;  thence  south  to  the  center  of  the  Meramec 
river;  thence  down  the  Meramec  river  to  its  junction  with 
the  Mississippi  river;  thence  up  the  Mississippi  river  to  the 
place  of  beginning  —  be  and  the  same  is  hereby  ceded  and 
transferred  to  the  United  States  of  America;  and  all  the  right, 
title,  authority,  and  jurisdiction,  now  owned,  possessed,  exer- 
cised, and  enjoyed,  by  the  State  of  Missouri,  in  or  to  or  over 
said  territory,  is  hereby  vested  in  the  United  Stato-i  of  America, 
upon  the  sole  and  express  condition  that  the  seat  of  govern- 
ment of  the  United  States  of  America  shall  be  removed  to  said 
territory  on  or  before  the  first  day  of  Januar}-,  1880. 

Skc.  2.  Be  it  farther  enact Py I,  That  said  territory  shall  not  vest 
in  the  United  States  of  America  until  Congress  shall  pass  an 


166  CHANGE    OF    NATIONAL   EMPIRE. 

act  movinf  the  seat  of  government  of  the  United  States  of 
America  to  said  territory,  and  authorizing  the  laying  out  of  a 
capitol  and  public  grounds ;  and  any  removal  of  the  seat  of 
o-overnraent  from  said  territory  any  time  thereafter  shall  imme- 
diately revert  all  the  title,  jurisdiction,  and  authority  in,  to,  and 
over  said  territory  in  the  State  of  Missouri :  And  provided, 
further,  that  no  change  of  government,  or  jurisdiction,  which 
may  take  place  under  "this  act,  shall  affect  the  rights  of  property 
of  individuals  or  bodies  corporate  within  the  territoiy  aforesaid. 

Sec.  3.  As  soon  as  Congress  shall  pass  an  act  removing  the 
seat  of  government  to  said  territor}-,  the  Governor  shall  formally 
transfer  the  same  to  the  United  States  of  America. 

Sec.  4.  The  Governor  shall  forward  copies  of  this  act  to  the 
presiding  otficers  of  each  House  of  Congress,  to  be  laid  before 
said  Houses  for  consideration. 

The  district  described  in  the  above  bill  has  an  area  of  about 
90  square  miles. 

A  vote  was  taken  in  the  House  of  Representatives  on  Judge 
Newcomb's  bill,  and,  under  the  circumstances,  was  more  favor- 
able for  the  removal  than  the  friends  could  have  expected. 
Owino-  to  the  lateness  of  the  time  at  which  Mr.  Finkelnburg's 
bill  was  introduced  in  the  Legislature,  a  vote  was  not  reached. 
But  there  can  be  no  question  about  the  State  of  Missouri  ceding 
to  the  General  Government  such  a  district  of  territory  as  may 
be  required  for  the  purposes  of  a  National  Capital. 

SHAW's     SUBmVTSION. 

The  map  of  grounds  submitted  to  illustrate  this  part  of  the 
subject  of  the  pamphlet  shows  the  district  described  in  Mr. 
Finkelnburg's  bill,  w^ith  an  addition  of  a  strip  one  mile  in  width 
on  the  north  side,  which  is  added  to  include  Mr.  Shaw's  sub- 
division and  his  splendid  garden. 

Mr.  Finkelnburg  made  the  selection  of  the  district  described 
in  his  bill,  in  accordance  with  the  public  sentiment  of  the  people 
of  St.  Louis,  who,  without  hesitation,  look  thither  to  several 
beautiful  sites,  one  of  which  seems  fated  to  be  the  seat  of 
empire  for  the  New  Eepublic. 

By  reference  to  the  map  of  this  district,  it  will  be  seen  there 
are  four  shaded  tracts  of  land,  three  lying  upon  the  Mississippi 
river,  and  one  back  from  it.     The  two  southern  tracts  of  land,  as 


CHANGE  OF  NATIONAL  EMPIRE.  16T 

will  be  seen  on  the  map,  are  the  property  of  the  Hon.  Henry  T. 
Blow,  and  known  as  Clifton  Heights.  The  tract  farthest  up  the 
river  is  Jefferson  Barracks,  and  is  owned  by  the  Government. 
The  shaded  tract  on  the  north  side  of  the  map,  and  out  from  th& 
city,  is  the  property  of  Mr.  Henry  Shaw,  whose  reputation  has 
gone  all  over  the  country,  on  account  of  his  fine  botanical  garden. 
Mr.  Shaw's  property  is  situated  at  a  distance  of  four  and  five 
miles  from  the  river.  His  garden  property  and  that  immedi- 
ately around  it,  although  extremely  beautiful  and  valuable,  is 
not  so  elevated  as  many  of  the  adjoining  locations.  However, 
beyond  his  garden,  a  little  more  than  one  mile,  is  a  beautiful 
broad  prairie  ridge,  with  an  elevation  of  200  feet  above  the  city 
directrix.  It  is  the  most  beautiful  site  back  from  the  river  that 
is  in  the  vicinity  of  the  city  of  St.  Louis,  and  on  account  of  its 
situation,  its  elevation,  and  itS  surroundings,  it  is  regarded  as 
one  of  the  favorite  and  suitable  localities  for  the  Government 
to  erect  new  public  buildings.  Besides  the  general  fixvorable- 
ness  of  this  location,  its  close  proximity  to  Mr.  Shaw's  fine 
garden  would  be  an  item  of  great  concern  to  the  new  seat  of 
government,  for  his  is  much  the  finest  garden  in  the  United 
States,  and  infinitely  surpasses  those  of  the  Government  at 
Washington.  Land  adjoining  Mr.  Shaw's  sub-division  is  from 
^500  to  §2,000  per  acre. 

CLIFTON   HEIGHTS. 

Passing  from  Mr.  Shaw's  sub-division  to  Clifton  Heights,  tho 
property  of  Mr.  Blow,  we  find  an  entirely  different  situation. 

Clifton  Heights  is  situated  ten  miles  below  the  city.  It  con- 
sists of  1,300  acres,  and,  as  will  be  seen  by  the  shadings  upon 
the  map,  lies  immediately  upon  the  great  Father  of  Waters,  and 
has  a  river  front  of  five  miles.  The  topography  and  general 
character  and  location  of  Clifton  Heights  cannot  be  equaled  by 
any  other  property  upon  the  river  in  the  vicinitj'  of  St.  Louis, 
and  is  not  surpassed  anywhere  from  its  source  to  its  mouth. 
It  is  high  and  commanding,  with  views  equal  to  any  of  the 
Alleghanies ;  and  when  the  art  of  man,  with  equal  skill,  there 
unites  with  nature,  no  people  can  point  to  a  place  more  remark- 
able for  its  beeauty,  healthfulness,  and  commanding  position. 


168  CHANGE    OF    NATIONAL    EMPIRE. 

In  fact,  it  would  seem  that  nature,  far  back  in  the  past,  had 
especially  provided  this  beautiful  site  on  the  groat  Mississippi 
river  for  the  seat  of  empire  for  the  New  Eepublic. 

This  property  has  an  elevation  of  252  feet  above  the  river, 
which  is  much  higher  than  any  other  ground  around  the  city, 
and  from  its  favorable  situation  it  commands  a  view  of  50  miles 
each  way  up  and  down  the  stream;  and  with  the  Government 
buildings  erected  upon  this  elevated  plateau,  they  will  occupy 
a  position  which,  united  with  their  great  size,  will  afford  a  view 
to  the  traveler  upon  the  river  or  railroad  which  will  far  surpass 
any  views  on  the  Hudson  or  Potomac  —  views  which  will  never 
grow  dull  to  the  vision. 

Land  about  Clifton  Heights  ranges  from  $80  to  S300  per 
acre,  and  every  advantage  for  the  supply  of  good  water  and 
good  building  stone  is  afforded  from  the  bluffs  of  the  Mississippi 
and  the  Meramec  rivers. 

JEFFERSON   BARRACKS. 

Situated  on  the  river,  just  above  Clifton  Heights,  is  Jefferson 
Barracks,  the  property  of  the  Government,  consisting  of  1,700 
acres,  which  would  afford  ample  room  for  the  Government 
buildings,  but  for  its  unfavorable  character  would  not  be  so  well 
suited  for  such  an  important  purpose.  The  ground  is  not  so 
elevated  as  that  of  Clifton  Heights^  or  as  that  of  Mr.  Shaw's 
division.  Therefore  it  is  not  probable  that  the  Government 
would  fix  upon  that  tract  in  the  event  of  a  change,  but  would, 
no  doubt,  retain  it  for  a  few  years,  until  the  sale  of  it  would  be 
an  item  of  pecuniary  importance. 

In  this  connection  it  may  be  proper  to  state  that  when  Con- 
gress orders  a  removal  of  the  seat  of  government,  it  will  be 
necessary,  as  under  the  Old  Government,  to  provide  for  the  tem- 
porary use  of  buildings  for  Congress  and  the  departments  at 
the  place  selected  for  the  new  Capital,  in  order  to  admit  of  the 
removal  of  the  present  ones  at  Washington.  In  that  event,  St. 
Louis,  or  whatever  other  place  may  be  selected,  will  no  doubt 
bo  asked  to  furnish  suitable  buildings  for  temporary  use. 


WHAT  TIME. 


The  general  mind  is  faithless  of  what  goes  much  beyond  its  own  experience.  It 
refuses  to  receive,  or  it  receives  with  distrust,  conclusions,  however  strongly  sustained 
by  facts  and  fair  deductions,  which  go  much  beyond  its  ordinary  range  of  thought. 
It  is  especially  skeptical  and  intolerant  toward  the  avowal  of  opinions,  however  well 
founded,  which  are  sanguine  of  great  future  changes.  It  does  not  comprehend  them, 
and  therefore  refuses  to  believe;  but  it  sometimes  goes  further,  and,  without  exnminn- 
ti»u,  scornfully  rejects.  To  seek  for  the  truth  is  the  proper  object  of  those  who,  from 
the  past  and  present,  undertake  to  say  what  will  be  in  the  future,  and,  M-hen  tlie 
truth  is  found,  to  express  it  with  as  little  referrence  to  what  will  be  thought  of  it  as  if 
putting  forth  the  solution  of  a  matliematical  problem.— J.  W.  Scolt. 

The  reader  of  this  little  pamphlet  will  no  doubt  be  desirous 
to  know  what  time  the  seat  of  government  will  be  moved  from 
its  present  place  to  the  Mississippi  Valley,  or,  at  least,  will  be 
anxious  to  know  what  time  one  so  sanguine  as  the  writer  has  fixed 
for  the  change.  I  unhesitatingly  answer  that  the  change  will 
be  made  within  five  years  from  January  1,  1869.  Before  two 
years  from  January  1, 1869,  Congress  will  authorize,  by  its  own 
act,  the  removal  of  the  seat  of  government  from  its  present 
place,  and  soon  will  follow  the  President,  national  archives,  and 
the  legislature  of  the  Eepublic. 

I  know  there  are  those  who  will  regard  this  statement  more 
visionary  than  any  preceding  one  I  have  made ;  but,  to  such  as 
choose  to  look  with  discredit  upon  it,  I  can  only  hope  that  expe- 
rience will  teach  them  that  which  they  are  now  unable  to 
comprehend.  He  who  does  not  comprehend  the  workings  of 
the  under  life-current  of  the  Eepublic  at  the  present  time,  is  shut 
out  from  a  comprehension  of  the  future,  and  thus  he  becomes  a 
conservative,  a  fogy — drift-wood  in  the  rolling  tide  of  progress. 

Ours  is  a  moving  time.  Changes  come  much  sooner  than 
most  men  expect  them.  The  Hon.  Horace  Greeley  but  a  few 
years  ago  did  not  expect  slavery  to  be  abolished  in  this  century. 
Pof.  Morse  did  not  expect  the  ocean  to  be  sijanned  by  a  tele- 
graph for  two  or  more  generations  hence.  Dr.  Lardner,  the 
most  learned  philosopher  of  England  in  his  day,  declared  in  a 
11 


170  OHANGK  OP  NATIONAL  EMPIRE. 

lecture,  in  Liverpool,  that  he  would  eat  the  first  steam  engine 
that  propelled  a  vessel  across  the  ocean.  Six  months  afterward 
a  vessel  did  cross  the  ocean  by  the  use  of  a  steam  engine,  but 
was  not  eaten.  There  are,  no  doubt,  some  wise  men  with  large 
stomachs,  who  will  read  this  pamphlet  or  hear  of  it,  that  will 
propose  to  eat  the  first  public  building  erected  on  the  new  Capital 
grounds  in  the  Mississippi  Yalley  in  the  next  generation.  There 
are,  no  doubt,  men  of  would-be  public  spirit  and  enterprise  who 
will  readily  volunteer  to  do  this  eating. 

What  is  there  to  retain  the  Capital  where  it  is  ?  But  two 
things — the  local  interests  of  the  people  of  Washington  City, 
and  the  consideration  on  the  part  of  the  Government  of  the 
public  buildings  erected  at  that  place.  I  have  already  shown 
that  the  consideration  of  the  public  buildings  at  that  place  is  an 
item  of  small  consequence  to  the  great  and  growing  interests  of 
the  Eepublic.  The  local  interests  of  the  people  of  Washington 
City  can  have  no  weight  in  the  matter  whatever.  It  is  purely 
a  national  question,  and  the  representatives  of  the  people  must 
alone  view  it  as  such. 

It  is  of  no  value  whatever  to  New  York  to  have  the  Capital  at 
Washington.  James  Gordon  Bennett,  some  yeai's  ago,  declared 
that  he  would  not  give  the  patronage  of  the  washer-women  of 
Now  York  for  all  the  Government  patronage.  So,  too,  might 
the  city  of  New  York  say,  for  she  stands  above  Washington. 
None  of  her  interests  are  subservient  to  Washington ;  therefore 
she  will  be  unconcerned  about  the  change. 

Let  me  repeat  again  :  the  change  will  be  made  in  five  years, 
and  before  1875  the  President  of  the  United  States  will  deliver 
his  message  at  the  now  seat  of  government  in  the  Mississippi 
Valley. 


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